The Deepest Friendship
by Freedom Fighter
Summary: Tomoyo's dreams of her killing Sakura just seem like a nightmare. But what happens when she starts trying to kill her best friend for real? Could it be the work of a Clow Card? Small hints of Sakura and Syaoran, as well as Sakura and Tomoyo.
1. Prologue

"The Deepest Friendship" - A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfic  
Story Written by Freedom Fighter  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Well, at long last I get to post my first CCS fanfic! About time, I say!  
  
This was originally going to be released in three gigantic parts, but after  
months of trying to find time to write the whole story, I've decided that  
breaking it up into smaller pieces would be much easier. So, here it is.  
  
There will only be one version: the CCS version with the Japanese character  
names and places. I was originally going to a CC dub version with English  
character names and places as well, but without all of the bad cuts that  
Nelvana did to the original series. I finally dropped the idea, once again,  
due to time constraints. But if there is anyone who would like me to do a  
version of this fanfic that way as well, then feel free to sound off!  
  
I'm not sure how many chapters I will do before this ends, but if you want to  
know whenever I post a new chapter, join my mailing list! E-mail me at  
jgg121@yahoo.com with the words 'Mailing List' in the subject. In the body,  
put which fanfics you want to be notified of, including this one!  
  
We all know that the last Clow Card Sakura captured was the Earth Card. This  
is an alter-universe fanfic, where I have chosen two different cards to be the  
last ones. You may assume that Sakura has all of the other cards, including  
the aforementioned Earth Card. This fanfic will also end before Sakura faces  
the final judgment with Yue, so don't expect me to do anything on that.  
  
In terms of couples for this fanfic… it's mostly one-sided Tomoyo/Sakura, and  
possibly some hints of Sakura/Syaoran. Some of the other minor relationships  
will also be mentioned briefly, but I really won't be focusing on them.  
  
One last thing… the only exposure I've had to the original series was, of  
course, the subtitled videotapes. I currently have all of the volumes already  
out (except for 4 and 7, which I'm going to get once I get the chance). This  
is also the first fanfic I've written using Japanese character personalities,  
in contrast to my Pokémon and Digimon fanfics, which use the English  
characters. So bear with me! Feel free to critique my work, but please no  
flames! I'm more likely to listen to a person who offers constructive  
criticism rather than one who'll just say this is bad without any apparent  
reason.  
  
Without further ado, here's the start of the fanfic...  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the characters from the  
TV series.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Prologue  
  
Sakura and Tomoyo were at the mall, shopping for a dress that Tomoyo could  
tailor into a battle costume.  
  
"This one looks nice," stated Tomoyo, pulling out a yellow frilled party dress.  
  
"You've got to be kidding," replied Sakura. "That's way too bright to use as  
a battle costume. Those cards will spot me from a mile away!" she added,  
slightly exaggerating.  
  
"Okay, okay," Tomoyo said, returning the dress to the rack she found it.  
"Tell you what, Sakura. All of this searching is making me hungry."  
  
"You said it. Let's head over to the local fast food joint and pick up  
something to eat."  
  
"I'll join you in a second. There's a dress by the cash register that's just  
screaming for me to buy."  
  
"Sure."  
  
As Sakura walks off, Tomoyo heads over to a violet colored dress decorated with  
bows. As she gets closer though, she begins to hear a strange voice emanating  
from it.  
  
"Try me on! Try me on!" it seemed to scream at her.  
  
Tomoyo eyed the dress suspiciously. After all, it was shouting at her. But  
something kept her from walking away. She had this strange desire to actually  
try the dress on. Finally, after standing around for several minutes staring  
at it, she grabs it and heads for the dressing room.  
  
A minute later, she comes out wearing the dress. Going over to the nearest  
mirror, she double checks to make sure there aren't any holes, obscene blotches  
or anything else of that sort. Satisfied that they aren't any, she spins  
around happily.  
  
"Wow! Sakura will absolutely love seeing me in this dress!"  
  
"I happen to think that she'll regret it," came a strange voice.  
  
"Who said that?"  
  
"I did."  
  
Tomoyo looks around for a minute, but there's no else in the store other than  
the cashier.  
  
"Hmmm. I must be hearing things."  
  
Suddenly, a giant beam of light surrounds her. She screams as some strange  
force seems to be taking over her body. Sakura, who was coming back to ask  
Tomoyo what she wanted to eat, heard her best friend scream. She began to  
sprint back to the store.  
  
"Tomoyo!"  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
As the frightened cashier runs away from the store, Sakura attempts to help  
her friend. She approaches her, only to jump back when the beam of light  
brightens to the point where no one within fifty feet can see anything. Soon  
after, the light fades completely away. Sakura runs over to Tomoyo, who is  
now lying unconscious on the ground.  
  
"Tomoyo!" Sakura yelled, attempting to wake her friend. "Tomoyo! Wake up!"  
  
Seconds pass by without any reaction. Suddenly, Tomoyo wakes up with an eerie  
blue glow in her eyes.  
  
"Tomoyo?"  
  
"Hello... Sakura!" she replies, somehow using her mind to lift Sakura off the  
ground. Sakura begins to panic as she reaches down and flattens her skirt in  
order to keep it from flying up. She discovers something else to worry about  
soon after... Tomoyo is using her powers of telekinesis to move Sakura's  
floating body over the nearby railing. Sakura is now dangling in mid-air,  
three floors up, as passersby gasp and shriek in horror.  
  
"Tomoyo!" she yelled. "What are you doing?"  
  
Tomoyo simply smirks and looks at her friend. "I'm killing off the person that  
released the Clow Cards in the first place." She points right at Sakura. "If  
not for you, then we wouldn't have to be out every night trying to capture  
them!"  
  
"Put me down, Tomoyo," Sakura screamed. "Put me down!"  
  
"As you wish."  
  
The glow disappears from Tomoyo's eyes. Tomoyo quickly snaps back to her  
senses as she sees her best friend plummet to her doom. As Sakura's body  
hits the ground with a very loud thump, Tomoyo can only scream for her long  
lost friend.  
  
"Sakuraaaaaaaaaaaa!"  
  
Suddenly, Tomoyo pops up in bed, waking up from her nightmare. Breathing  
heavily, she puts her hand on her chest and feels her beating chest as she  
tries to calm herself down.  
  
"What kind of nightmare was that?" she asked herself. "I'm probably never  
going to get back to sleep now!"  
  
She gets out of bed, clothed in her pajamas, and walks over to the window.  
Looking out at the dark night sky, she begins to ponder the meaning of her  
nightmare.  
  
"What does it all mean? How come I'm having all of these nightmares? How  
come... they all include me... killing Sakura?"  
  
The camera, now on the outside facing Tomoyo's window, lifts up to face the  
sky. A few lingering cherry blossoms float through the sky as our story  
begins...  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
Coming in Chapter 1:  
- Sakura and the girls try to find out why Tomoyo is so depressed.  
- Meilin is attacked! But by whom?  
- Kero-chan says: "Could it be a Clow Card?"  
- And Tomoyo has another nightmare... this one worse than the first!  
  
Copyright Date: 1/26/02 


	2. One

"The Deepest Friendship" - A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfic  
Story Written by Freedom Fighter  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Here's Chapter One. I don't know if Chapter Two will be ready for next week.  
I've got too many fanfics to write and too many tests to study for. Anyway, I  
hope you guys enjoy this installment!  
  
I apologize in advance for the whole -chan/-kun suffixes. I'm still not  
completely familiar with them all, so feel free to correct me if I make a  
mistake somewhere.  
  
Don't forget to leave a review when you're done reading!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the characters from the  
TV series.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Chapter One  
  
The silence of the morning is broken by a familiar sound...  
  
At least to one young fifth grader in particular...  
  
"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" yelled Sakura, quickly sitting up in bed and knocking Kero,  
who had been sleeping on the bed, off of it. She picked up her nearby alarm  
clock and glances at it. She screams again, this time loud enough to awake  
the souls of the dead. "I'm going to be late again!"  
  
Ten minutes later, Sakura, now dressed in her school uniform, kisses her  
father goodbye at the front door.  
  
"Now Sakura," her dad began. "I'll be out a little late tonight working on  
putting together a new archeology project for my classes, so be nice to your  
brother!"  
  
"Don't worry dad! I will," she replied. Snapping the final few buckles on her  
very detailed red roller skates, she waves goodbye and takes off, attempting to  
catch up with her brother, Toya.  
  
A little bit later, Sakura, panting heavily, catches up to Toya and Yukito, who  
are both riding their bicycles very slowly as they converse on their way to  
school.  
  
"Well well, looks like the squirt managed to finally get out of bed," Toya  
stated coldly.  
  
"You know," Sakura replied in the same tone, "it would help if you would wake  
me in the morning."  
  
"Why should I? You have an alarm clock. Why don't you use it?"  
  
"Come on! You know I'm a deep sleeper!"  
  
Yukito decides to break up the argument between the two siblings. "Toya, don't  
pick on Sakura. I'm sure she'll eventually get used to waking up early."  
  
Toya turns his attention back to Yukito. "Sure... when pigs fly!"  
  
Sakura began to burn up inside. "Oooooooooooohhhh... if it weren't for the fact  
that I'm a cardcaptor, I'd use the big card right now to squash him with my own  
two feet!" She then remembers that Yukito is there, so she stops being angry  
with her brother and looks at Yukito to admire him.  
  
"Sigh... Yuki's the cutest boy I've ever met," Sakura thought dreamily. "If only  
I was a few years older..."  
  
Sakura eventually arrives at Tomoeda Elementary School with a few minutes to  
spare. At the steps of the school, she takes off her roller skates. Just then,  
she spots Tomoyo heading towards her, looking a little bit under the weather.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
"Good morning Sakura-chan," replied Tomoyo, in a monotone. She simply just  
walks past her best friend and heads towards the classroom. Sakura, a little  
puzzled over Tomoyo's behavior, follows her in.  
  
"You look a little down in the dumps today. What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing. Nothing at all."  
  
The two walk silently to room number 5-2, where they have class. Opening the  
sliding door, they see that their teacher, Miss Mizuki, isn't there yet, but  
most of the class is. Tomoyo walks quietly over to her seat. Right behind  
her, Meiling is busy staring googly-eyed at Syaoran, who is trying to ignore  
her by looking out the window. Naoko and Chiharu walk up to Sakura, joining  
her as the three glance at their friend with worried looks on their faces.  
  
"Ohayo, Sakura-chan!" the two girls shouted in unison.  
  
"Ohayo, Naoko-chan! Chiharu-chan!"  
  
"What's wrong with Tomoyo-chan?" Naoko asked, pointing at her depressed figure.  
  
"She looks like she's worried about something," Chiharu added.  
  
"I don't know," Sakura replied. "I met her this morning and that's how she  
was. I don't know what to make of it."  
  
"You're her best friend, Sakura." Naoko stated matter-of-factly. "You should  
be able to find out what's wrong with her."  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"If anyone can do it," began Chiharu, "you can!"  
  
Yamazaki steps through the sliding door, which Sakura absent-mindedly left  
open, and walks past the three conversing girls. He waves at Chiharu.  
  
"Good morning all!"  
  
"G-g-g-g-good morning," Chiharu responds, her face now a bright red.  
  
"Oooooooohhhhhh! Look at Chiharu's face!" Naoko stated, pointing at her  
friend's crimson colored face.  
  
"Looks like someone's got a crush on Yamazaki!" Sakura added.  
  
"What are you two talking about?" questioned Chiharu, denying the accusations.  
"I don't have a crush on him!"  
  
"Yeah right," came the response from Naoko. "We can see the sparks between  
you two flying from a mile away." She then turns to Sakura. "Right, Sakura?  
Sakura?"  
  
Naoko turns around and sees Sakura beginning to walk towards Tomoyo. She had  
to anyway... they sit next to each other! As she approaches Tomoyo, she sees  
Meiling's attempts to flirt with Syaoran go awfully awry. As they did, she  
headed over to the duo.  
  
"For the last time Meiling, stop bugging me!" yelled an angry Syaoran.  
  
She grabs Syaoran's right arm and begins to beg. "Syaoran, come on! Why don't  
you want to eat lunch with me today?"  
  
He jerks his arm away from her. "Because I have better things to do."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"Hi guys!" Sakura stepped in. "How are you two today?"  
  
Both of them quickly glare at her and respond, "It's none of your business,  
Sakura!" With that, the two of them take their seats... and so does everyone  
else, as Miss Mizuki steps into the room. Rika follows her in. Sakura, the  
last one to sit down, sighs as she tries to figure out why Tomoyo is ignoring  
her.  
  
Later that day, Sakura is sitting outside on the steps leading to the courtyard.  
She watches as the nearby football field is filled with students who are in the  
middle of a game. She is still thinking about Tomoyo.  
  
"What could be bothering her so much? Could it be something at home? Maybe  
she failed one of her tests? Or maybe, just maybe..."  
  
Sakura's thoughts are interrupted as she hears Meiling screaming out near the  
fence that separates her school from Northwest High School next door, where  
Toya and Yukito attend classes. She quickly grabs her backpack and takes off  
running. Halfway there, she spots Syaoran coming out of the school building.  
  
"Obviously, he must have heard Meiling screaming too," Sakura thought.  
  
The two begin running in sync as they finally spot Meiling sitting on the  
ground. They gasp as they see a red handprint on her face... and her left  
hand near it, softly examining it. A tear is seen streaming down her face.  
She hasn't noticed them yet, as she is looking over at Tomoyo, who is only a  
few feet away. Meiling seemed to be a little frightened, but of what only she  
knew. Tomoyo was just standing there with an expressionless face. Syaoran  
kneels down to check on Meiling while Sakura just stares at Tomoyo.  
  
Before anyone could say anything though, Tomoyo suddenly turns around and takes  
off running. Sakura begins to chase after her, but she stops when Syaoran  
starts yelling at her.  
  
"Sakura-chan! Forget about Daidouji right now. Let's figure out what's going  
on first."  
  
"Oh. Okay."  
  
Sakura walks back to where Syaoran and Meiling are. He is comforting her.  
  
"What happened, Meiling?"  
  
Meiling sniffles a few times and then she pulls out a handkerchief. She wipes  
the tears from her eyes before proceeding to blow her nose several times...  
including one that's so loud that Syaoran jumps back in surprise. By this time,  
Sakura had reached the duo and was kneeling down in front of Meiling. It was  
then that Meiling got a hold of herself. She jumps up towards Sakura, pushing  
her back towards the ground. Sakura wasn't expecting Meiling to do that as she  
comes down on her backside hard. She grimaces as she reaches over to her butt  
to check for any injuries. Syaoran was once again surprised at this turn of  
events, but he quickly recovers and begins to interrogate Meiling for her  
actions.  
  
"Meiling!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"What did you do that for?"  
  
"Kinomoto deserved it. Her friend slapped me across the face for no reason at  
all." Meiling then once again began to pout as her hand examined the mark  
across her face.  
  
Sakura slowly gets to her feet, still grimacing in pain. "Why would Tomoyo do  
something like that?"  
  
"I don't know, but I think she has to get her head checked!"  
  
Syaoran remained speechless throughout the conversation, yet Sakura could tell  
that he was thinking. Thinking of his own way to explain Tomoyo's strange  
behavior. But how could he? Sakura was already aware that the only other time  
he saw Tomoyo was in class. At that time, Tomoyo seemed to be acting  
normally... well, if you consider her sitting quietly without talking to anyone  
normal for her.  
  
"Hmmmm... maybe Kero-chan might know something about this..." Sakura thought.  
  
Roughly ten minutes later, the front door to the Kinomoto household opens and  
Sakura rushes in, immediately charging towards the stairs. Well, at least she  
remembers to close the door behind her this time. As she started climbing up  
the stairs, she hears her brother calling from the kitchen.  
  
"Hey squirt! Don't tell me you going to forget to eat dinner!"  
  
"Just leave some for me for later. Um... I've got a lot of homework to do."  
  
"I'm not serving it to you cold! Besides, I'm not guaranteeing there'll be  
any left when you come down."  
  
Sakura missed the end of her brother's last statement, as she reaches the top  
of the stairs and starts running to the door of her bedroom. She opens it,  
goes in the room, and then slams the door behind her. This wakes up Kero, who  
had been sleeping on the bed.  
  
"What's going on?" Kero shouted before noticing that Sakura is in the room.  
  
"Kero-chan," she exclaimed as she threw her backpack to the side, "something  
terrible happened today!"  
  
"Can't it wait?" Kero responded while yawning. "I was having such a good  
nap..."  
  
"Kero-chan, Tomoyo slapped Meiling after school today!"  
  
"Really? What did she do to deserve it? Wait... did you say Tomoyo slapped  
her?"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"But that's uncharacteristic of her, isn't it?"  
  
"That's what I'm trying to say! Tomoyo's not like that!"  
  
"Then what possessed her to slap the brat, huh?"  
  
"I don't know. I was hoping you would know."  
  
"Why? Do you think it's a Clow Card?"  
  
Sakura scratches her head. "Maybe it is. I was feeling kinda strange just  
before Tomoyo ran away. But which one is it?"  
  
"I'm not sure," Kero replied, beginning to think. "I'm not aware of any card  
that makes someone violent. Or the ability to possess someone's soul, for  
that matter."  
  
Sakura gasps. "You mean Tomoyo might be under the control of a rogue Clow  
Card?"  
  
"Let's not jump to conclusions."  
  
"You're right. If a Clow Card had taken control of Tomoyo, it would probably  
have her wreaking havoc throughout the city."  
  
"That's true."  
  
"Besides, she had been pretty quiet before the incident. Like she didn't want  
to talk to me for some reason."  
  
"But you haven't done anything to make her mad recently, have you?"  
  
"Of course not! Tomoyo's my best friend! I'd never do that!"  
  
"Well, something happened to her. Clow Card or not, I say we'd better keep a  
close eye on her."  
  
"Right. Wait... did you say we?"  
  
"Yep. Tomorrow, I'm going to school with you!"  
  
"Just remember to stay in my backpack this time, okay?"  
  
"I know, I know. Now, how about some dinner? I'm starving for pudding!"  
  
Sakura's stomach begins to grumble loudly. She sweatdrops. "I guess I'd  
better eat too."  
  
  
That night, at the Daidouji residence, we see Tomoyo tossing and turning in  
bed once again. She's in the middle of another one of her nightmares...  
  
"Sakura," Tomoyo began, handing her friend a bouquet of cherry blossoms, "I  
love you more than anything else in the world! Will you be mine?"  
  
Sakura takes the bouquet and stares at it for a minute. She looks at Tomoyo,  
who is smiling at her. Sakura smiles back.  
  
"Sure," she began, before throwing the bouquet onto the ground and stomping on  
it several times. "When pigs fly!"  
  
Sakura laughs hysterically as Tomoyo drops to her knees and begins to cry.  
All of a sudden, Syaoran appears and gives Sakura a kiss on her left cheek.  
  
"Besides," Sakura continued, "Li and I are getting married next week!"  
  
The couple begins to laugh in unison. Tomoyo covers her ears with her hands  
as their laughs get louder and louder. Eventually, Tomoyo snaps. She  
reaches for a conveniently placed lead pipe and charges for Sakura. Syaoran  
tries to jump in between the two, but Tomoyo just knocks him out of the way.  
She makes her way over to Sakura and with one fell swoop, she begins bashing  
the pipe into Sakura's skull again and again and again. Sakura has nowhere to  
go, as she falls to the ground and is unable to defend herself. Syaoran pulls  
Tomoyo away just as she connects with Sakura's head once more. Sakura begins  
to cough up a few big blobs of blood before promptly falling unconscious.  
Tomoyo snaps out of her trance as Syaoran releases his grip on her and goes  
over to check on Sakura.  
  
"Sakura!" Tomoyo yelled. "Oh my god, what happened?"  
  
"What happened?" Syaoran angrily replies after he had finished checking  
Sakura's pulse. "You just killed Sakura, that's what happened!"  
  
"What?" Tomoyo replied with a ghastly look on her face. "That can't be! She  
can't be dead!"  
  
She tries to get over to Sakura's limp body, but Syaoran gets in the way.  
This time, Syaoran takes control and grabs Tomoyo's arms before she can swing  
them at him. She struggles to break free, but it's no use.  
  
"I must see Sakura!" Tomoyo yelled, as tears began to stream from her face.  
  
"Just so you can mutilate her even more?" Syaoran yelled back. "Don't even  
think about it!"  
  
"Sakura! Sakura! Please don't leave me, Sakura! I didn't mean it! Sakura!  
Sakura!"  
  
Tomoyo continues to recite Sakura's name until she is finally vaulted out of  
her nightmare. As was the case the night before, Tomoyo rises to a sitting  
position on her bed. Her heart is beating rapidly, her breathing is rather  
heavy, and sweat is pouring down her head.  
  
"No," she quietly said. "Not again. Not again."  
  
All of a sudden, one of the maids bursts into the room. She had overheard  
Tomoyo screaming and she was going to check on her.  
  
"Excuse me Miss Tomoyo, but are you feeling okay?"  
  
Tomoyo wiped some of the sweat from her forehead with her right hand. Trying  
not to hint that something was wrong, she quickly lies to her.  
  
"I'm fine. I just need a glass of water, that's all."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
The maid bows. "I'll be back shortly with your water, Miss Tomoyo."  
  
As she departs the room, Tomoyo pulls the covers off and jumps out of her bed.  
She walks over to the window, just like she had done the previous night. She  
begins staring up at the stars once again, pondering just what is going on.  
  
"What am I going to do? If I don't get rid of these nightmares soon, they're  
going to be the death of me! Or even worse, the death of Sakura. It must be  
an omen of some sort, telling me to stay away from her. But I can't do that!  
I'm her best friend! But I don't want her to get hurt. What am I going to  
do? What am I..."  
  
She falls to her knees, for real this time, and begins to weep openly.  
  
"Mother... where are you?" she manages to blurt out as she continues to cry.  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
Coming in Chapter 2:  
- A true blue Sakura/Syaoran/Meiling moment!  
- Tomoyo strikes again! Who's her next victim?  
- Yamazaki has his own theory! Where's Chiharu when you need her?  
- And yet another nightmare... could this be the one that changes Tomoyo for  
the worst?  
  
Copyright Date: 2/2/02 


	3. Two

"The Deepest Friendship" - A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfic  
Story Written by Freedom Fighter  
  
Rating: PG  
  
The second chapter, finished at last! I'll try to get a new chapter out at  
least every other week, possibly sooner. It all depends on how much time I  
have to write.  
  
I apologize for this taking so long. I didn't realize it's been TWO months  
since the last chapter.  
  
Anyway, enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the characters from the  
TV series.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
The following morning, Sakura continues to worry about Tomoyo. As she arrives  
at school, she doesn't even wave goodbye to her brother or Yukito. She takes  
a seat on a nearby bench to remove her rollerskates. Afterwards, she makes her  
way through the crowd and towards her locker. She opens it, gets out the  
books she need, puts her rollerskates in, and then closes it. As she heads  
for her classroom, she looks around for Tomoyo. She is nowhere to be seen.  
  
Sakura pushes the sliding door to the classroom aside. Entering the room, she  
is immediately confronted by Syaoran.  
  
"Uh... is there something wrong?" Sakura hesitantly asked.  
  
"Let's go outside," Syaoran responded nonchalantly. Sakura quickly complied  
and the two went out to the courtyard to continue their discussion. Once  
outside, they quickly look around to make sure no one is around.  
  
"Why so secretive, Li?"  
  
"Wasn't Daidouji acting strange yesterday?"  
  
"You noticed that too, huh?"  
  
"Yeah. But didn't you feel a bit strange just before she ran off?"  
  
"Yes, I did. I talked it over with Kero last night."  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"He said it may be a Clow Card, but he doesn't remember a card that has the  
ability to control a person's soul."  
  
"You think Tomoyo's possessed by an evil spirit?"  
  
"More or less, yes."  
  
"That's preposterous!"  
  
"Maybe. But you wouldn't be asking me if you didn't think a Clow Card was  
involved."  
  
"True. We'd better keep a close eye on her."  
  
"I agree. By the way, have you seen her today?"  
  
"Doesn't she usually come in with you?"  
  
"Yeah, but I haven't seen her at all this morning."  
  
"I see."  
  
"How's Meiling doing?"  
  
"Oh, she decided to stay home. She was afraid that Tomoyo might attack her."  
  
"Meiling? Afraid? That's a first. I can't believe it."  
  
"And you shouldn't believe it."  
  
The two turn and see Meiling standing right beside them. She has an angry look  
on her face. Sakura jumps back in fear, running behind Syaoran and hiding in  
fear.  
  
"What are you two doing out here?" Meilin asked.  
  
"If you must know Meiling," Syaoran began, "we were just discussing what  
happened yesterday."  
  
"Yeah right," Meiling replied sarcastically. "Explain to me why Kinomoto is  
hiding behind you?"  
  
Sakura steps out from behind Syaoran to defend herself. "We were just  
discussing the possibility of having to capture a Clow Card."  
  
"Don't lie to me!" Meiling exclaimed, getting right in Sakura's face. "I know  
you were trying to take Syaoran away from me! How dare you!"  
  
"What?" Sakura shouted. "I would never do such a thing!"  
  
"She's telling the truth," Syaoran added. "We were discussing the Clow Cards  
and how Tomoyo may be possessed by one."  
  
Meiling backs off of Sakura. She begins to walk away towards the building.  
She then turns around one last time and points at Sakura.  
  
"I'll be watching you, Kinomoto!"  
  
With that, she heads into the school building. Sakura breathes a sigh of  
relief.  
  
"I thought she'd never leave," she said.  
  
Syaoran grabs Sakura's hand and begins to lead her inside. "We'd better head  
back or we'll be late."  
  
"Um... Li-kun..."  
  
"What now?"  
  
"Could you let go of my hand, please?"  
  
Syaoran looks down and sees that his hand is indeed clasped over hers. He  
immediately pulls his away and sticks it in his pocket. He blushes in  
embarrassment.  
  
"Sorry about that," he apologized.  
  
"It's okay," she responded, smiling.  
  
"Ahem... let's just keep an eye on Tomoyo, k?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
  
  
At that exact moment, Tomoyo walked onto school grounds. Yes, walked. Usually,  
she would be given a ride to school by the family bodyguards. But she was  
feeling anything but usual today.  
  
Tomoyo seemed to be in some state of hypnosis, but how she got into it was  
unknown. The few random students that were hanging out in the courtyard  
suddenly go silent as they watch her pass by. It had taken less than a whole  
day for the news to spread over most of the student body. They had all heard  
about how she had slapped Meiling yesterday. Some of them were wondering if  
one of the teachers would confront her about it. A few others were wondering  
if her mother had heard about it. And a few were fearful that she might  
retaliate on someone else.  
  
Those fears were to come out sooner than expected, as Chiharu and Yamazaki  
walk into the courtyard, side-by-side. Without warning, Tomoyo quickly turns  
and lunges at the duo. But just as Tomoyo raises her arm to slap Chiharu hard  
across the face, Yamazaki pushes her aside just in the nick of time. That  
doesn't leave Yamazaki enough time to dodge the blow, though, as the sound of  
Tomoyo's hand connecting with his left cheek is heard throughout the courtyard.  
In fact, the slap is so hard that Yamazaki is sent soaring into the air, only  
to come down shortly thereafter.  
  
As the confused crowd tried to figure out what to do, Tomoyo runs off just as  
swiftly as she appeared just a minute ago. A random student or two ran off to  
find a teacher while Chiharu checks herself for bruises or scrapes after being  
shoved down to the ground. She then runs off to check up on Yamazaki, who  
seems to be cringing in pain.  
  
"Yamazaki-kun!" Chiharu shouted worriedly as she helped pull him up.  
  
"That stung!" he responded as he gritted his teeth. Chiharu looked at his  
left cheek and saw that Tomoyo's handprint had left quite a mark on his face.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?"  
  
"I'm fine. But I have to admit, Tomoyo slaps pretty hard. Almost as hard as  
you do."  
  
"This is no time to joke around!" she yelled at him, only to discover that he  
had turned to talk to someone else.  
  
"Did you know that over 30 million years ago that girls were first born into  
this world? Back then, the only way a female would get respect from a male was  
if she slapped him silly. That's why boys started hunting animals for food.  
It was the only way to retain their masculinity, as well as their status as the  
head of the relationship. Not all guys were strong though, and so they  
resorted to beating up their wives constantly to show they were in charge. I  
think the most common weapon used for beating was a whisk. First, they would  
bash them over the head with it. Then they'd twirl it around in their hair to  
mess it up. And then..."  
  
Chiharu grabs Yamazaki by the ear and starts dragging him off towards the  
nurse's office, stomping all the way.  
  
"The only thing you're using a whisk for is to prepare the batter for that cake  
you were going to make me today! I swear, one day those stories of yours are  
going to get you into a lot of trouble."  
  
  
  
Of course, Sakura, Syaoran, and Meiling had heard about the incident. They  
ran down to the nurse's office, only to find Chiharu outside.  
  
"Chiharu-chan!" Sakura yelled out with a hint of worry in her voice.  
  
"Sakura-chan!" Chiharu responded.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"It was Tomoyo-chan! She arrived this morning and... and..."  
  
"And what?"  
  
"Did she slap you across the face?" Meiling quickly interjected.  
  
"Actually..."  
  
"Wait! Why are you outside of the nurse's office if she hit you?" Sakura  
asked.  
  
"Actually, she hit Yamazaki."  
  
"What? Why would she do that?"  
  
"Well, she was aiming for me, but Yamazaki-kun pushed me out of the way and  
took the blow for me."  
  
"He did that?"  
  
Finally, Syaoran decided to speak up. "It's like yesterday, isn't it? She  
just tried to hit you, right out of the blue, for no apparent reason?"  
  
Chiharu sadly nodded in agreement with his theory.  
  
"What could be wrong with Tomoyo-chan? Do you think she's having trouble at  
home?"  
  
"I sure hope not," Sakura replied, not wanting to tell her that she thought  
that there was a Clow Card behind this.  
  
"We'd better visit her after school," Syaoran told Sakura.  
  
"Good idea, Li-kun."  
  
"You're not going without me!" Meiling added.  
  
"Fine," Syaoran sighed. Just then, the door to the nurse's office slid open.  
Yamazaki stepped out, holding a small ice pack up to his left cheek. Otherwise,  
he looked just fine.  
  
"Yamazaki-kun!" Chiharu cried.  
  
"Chiharu-chan, I'm okay."  
  
"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked him.  
  
"Oh," he responded, spotting the trio for the first time. "Other than that  
hard slap Tomoyo-chan gave me, I'm fine."  
  
"That's good to hear."  
  
"I hope we find out what's wrong with Tomoyo-chan before she really hurts  
someone."  
  
  
  
Later that day, Sakura, Syaoran, and Meiling take the local bus to the  
Daidouji mansion. They were determined to confront Tomoyo and ask her what  
was going on.  
  
"Now remember," Syaoran reminded Meiling, "we're here to talk."  
  
"I know, Syaoran!" Meiling exclaimed.  
  
Sakura goes up and rings the buzzer. Seconds later, Tomoyo's voice can be  
heard from the loudspeaker.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Um... Tomoyo-chan?"  
  
The other end of the line suddenly goes silent. Sakura rings the buzzer once  
again.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan? Are you still there?"  
  
"What do you think is going on?" Syaoran asked.  
  
All of a sudden, the gates begin to open. The trio walks past the gates and  
heads for the front door, where they see Tomoyo waiting for them. She ushers  
them in and leads them to the back patio. Once there, they sit down at the  
table set up there.  
  
"I knew you guys were going to come eventually," Tomoyo said.  
  
"We're just worried about you, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura stated. "What's going on  
with you? And why did you slap Meilin yesterday and then try to slap Chiharu  
today?"  
  
"I don't know. It just happened!"  
  
"What do you mean it just happened?" Meiling shouted, enraged. "You call  
slapping my face something that just happened?"  
  
"Meiling, sit down!" Syaoran ordered.  
  
Meiling sat down as Tomoyo resumed her speech.  
  
"It felt like I was losing control. Just minutes before I would slap  
someone, I felt like I lost control of my body. Like I was possessed or  
something."  
  
"Possessed?" Sakura asked, beginning to get a little scared. "You mean by a  
g-g-g-g-ghost?"  
  
"I don't know. But it felt like something!"  
  
"Sakura-chan, do you sense anything?" Syaoran asked.  
  
"You mean like a Clow Card? Let me see..."  
  
Sakura closes her eyes and begins to concentrate. As she does so, she turns  
her head towards Tomoyo. She then stays in that position for about a minute  
or so before coming out of it.  
  
"I don't sense anything at all," Sakura concluded.  
  
"That's weird," Syaoran added. "I could've sworn that there might have been a  
Clow Card behind this."  
  
"Me too. But why don't we sense it?"  
  
Sakura and Syaoran begins to ponder this thought as Tomoyo sits in her chair,  
getting more worried by the minute.  
  
"I don't know if this will help," Tomoyo began, "but this started happening  
after I had all of these recent nightmares."  
  
"Nightmares?" Meiling questioned, wondering where this was going. "What types  
of nightmares?"  
  
"Well... they're nightmares of me..."  
  
"That's terrible!"  
  
"It gets worse. They're nightmares of me... killing..."  
  
"Killing?" Sakura was starting to get worried again.  
  
"Of whom?" Syaoran asked, although he think he knew the answer.  
  
Tomoyo sniffles, then blurts out her answer.  
  
"They're of me... killing Sakura-chan."  
  
At that point, Tomoyo begins to wail loudly. As Syaoran tries to calm her  
down, his eyes are turned on Sakura. So are Meilin's. Of course, they had  
good reason to do so, as Sakura looked like she had just been scared out of  
her wits.  
  
"Me?" Sakura screamed. "No! I don't want to die! I don't wanna, I don't  
wanna, I don't wanna!"  
  
"Sakura-chan!" Syaoran yelled, bring Sakura back to her senses. "Freaking out  
isn't going to help Tomoyo-chan any right now. We've got to figure out what's  
going on!"  
  
"You're right, Li-kun. If Tomoyo-chan's having problems with nightmares, we'll  
help her out by staying here tonight!"  
  
"What?" Syaoran was the one freaking out now. "You mean tonight?"  
  
"If we're going to get to the bottom of this, we have to find out for sure  
what is causing her nightmares. And if it's a Clow Card, then I can capture  
it!"  
  
"If it's a Clow Card," Meiling interrupted, "then it'll be a piece of cake for  
me and Syaoran. We won't need your help."  
  
"Meiling-chan, this isn't the time to settle our petty diffrences. We have to  
help Tomoyo-chan out."  
  
"Sakura-chan's right. We have to do this together. Got it?"  
  
"But Syaoran..."  
  
"No buts!"  
  
"Fine. But she'd better not get in our way!"  
  
"Sure..." Sakura replied, sweatdropping.  
  
"Did you hear that? We'll help you solve your problems!"  
  
"Come on, Tomoyo-chan. We'll make sure you won't have any more nightmares!"  
  
All of a sudden, Tomoyo stops crying. She uses her arms to wipe the tears from  
her face. She then gets out of her seat and runs over and hugs Sakura.  
  
"Thank you, Sakura-chan! Thank you!"  
  
"No problem, Tomoyo-chan! After all, we're best friends!"  
  
"Right," Tomoyo reassured herself, "best friends!"  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
Coming in Chapter 3:  
- Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meiling have a sleepover, much to the chagrin of Syaoran.  
- But even that doesn't stop Tomoyo from having another nightmare.  
- Will Tomoyo really kill Sakura, or can the cardcaptor bring her friend to her senses?  
  
Copyright Date: 3/31/02 


	4. Three

"The Deepest Friendship" - A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfic  
Story Written by Freedom Fighter  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Finally, we're going to get some action in this fanfic. Will the gang be  
able to find the source of Tomoyo's nightmares?  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the characters from the  
TV series.  
  
*****  
  
Chapter Three (07.29.02)  
  
After going home to get some things and telling her dad and her older brother  
that she was sleeping at Tomoyo's house that night, Sakura and Kero, stowed  
away in her backpack, head back to the Daidouji mansion. As they rode the bus  
there, they tried once again to make sense out of Tomoyo's predicament.  
  
"It's funny that you can't sense it even though you have almost all of the  
cards," Kero noted. "By this time, you should be able to sense it easily.  
The kid should be able to as well."  
  
"What if it's not a Clow Card?" Sakura asked, getting scared once again. "What  
if some poor, lifeless spirit really did take over her body?"  
  
"Calm down. I'm sure that there's a perfect explanation for Tomoyo-chan's  
sudden mood swings."  
  
"You call slapping Meilin and Yamazaki mood swings?"  
  
"Well, yeah. We know that she doesn't have anything against them. The brat  
maybe, but not Yamazaki."  
  
"But Tomoyo's always nice! You know that!"  
  
"True. But there's more to this than meets the eye. Our best bet is to ask  
Tomoyo what she feels like just before she changes to her more slap happy  
form. That's the best way to find the root of the problem."  
  
"And if it's a Clow Card, I can capture it! Right?"  
  
"IF it is a Clow Card."  
  
"Hoe!"  
  
======  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Sakura and Kero were on the grounds of the Daidouji  
mansion. They enter as one of the maids escorts them to Tomoyo's bedroom.  
They were both hoping that they had gotten here before Syaoran and Meilin  
because they wanted to spend some private time with Tomoyo. No such luck, as  
the maid opens the door to Tomoyo's room and both of them are sitting on the  
floor on either side of her.  
  
After checking to make sure that they are all settled, the maid then leaves  
to start preparing dinner. Of course, that excites Kero a lot, as he jumps  
out of Sakura's backpack and starts dancing around happily.  
  
"Yeah! I can't wait to eat!"  
  
"But Kero-chan, you had three mints on the way here!" Sakura exclaimed.  
  
"We didn't come here to eat," Syaoran noted, angering Kero a little bit.  
  
"Well, kid, if I weren't in such a good mood today, I'd be yelling at you and  
the brat right now."  
  
"Stop calling me a brat!" Meiling shouts.  
  
"Kero, we're here to help Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
"And I'm happy that you did," Tomoyo told Sakura and the others. "I don't know  
what to do."  
  
"We think that a Clow Card has possessed her, Kero-chan. But I couldn't sense  
anything. Li couldn't either."  
  
Kero floats over to Tomoyo. He then lands right in front of her as he attempts  
to detect a card's presence. Sakura, Syaoran, and Meiling watch as Kero goes  
to work, glowing yellow for a few seconds. Kero then stops glowing as he  
presents his findings.  
  
"I don't feel anything."  
  
Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Meiling all fall to the ground in disbelief.  
  
"Some help the stuffed animal was!" Meiling shouted.  
  
"Actually," Kero corrected himself, "I feel something. Just not a Clow Card."  
  
"What? You mean that something may have really taken over Tomoyo-chan's body?"  
  
"But I feel in perfect control of myself right now. It's just those two  
incidents at school."  
  
"She's got a point," Syaoran noted. "If a spirit had taken over her body, she  
wouldn't be in control of herself at all at anytime, period, and we wouldn't  
be here trying to figure out what the hell's going on."  
  
"Then what?" Sakura asked. She turns towards Kero, who is deep in thought.  
  
"I'm trying to remember which of the Clow Cards are still loose... but I can't  
seem to remember at all."  
  
"Hey! Tomoyo-chan, you said that you've had nightmares the past few nights,  
right?"  
  
Tomoyo nodded sadly. "That's why I've been so depressed the last two days at  
school. I don't want to imagine what I'd do if my nightmares started coming  
true, Sakura-chan."  
  
Sakura gulped in fear. "That makes two of us."  
  
"So we'll stay here and see if a nightmare will help us sense the Clow Card  
better. That is, if it is a Clow Card."  
  
Meiling rejoiced with glee as she leaned over and wrapped her arms around  
Syaoran. "That means that we'll get to snuggle tonight, right Syaoran?"  
  
Sakura laughs nervously as she watches Meiling ogle Syaoran to no end.  
  
======  
  
That night, Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meiling are talking amongst themselves while  
Kero sleeps on the dresser and Syaoran watches them from afar.  
  
"I guess I never got a chance to formally apologize for what happened  
yesterday, Meiling-chan."  
  
"No problem! I've taken hard blows than the one you gave me!"  
  
"Now, if I could only do the same for Yamazaki-kun and Chiharu-chan."  
  
"I'm sure they'd understand," Sakura says. "I just hope we can put an end to  
this before you do something extremely extraordinary."  
  
"I hope that never happens. I'm glad you're all here."  
  
Tomoyo then turns towards Sakura and grabs her hands with her own.  
  
"Especially you, Sakura-chan!"  
  
"Anything for you," Sakura gleefully replies, oblivious to the true sincerity  
of Tomoyo's statement.  
  
"It shouldn't be a problem for me and Syaoran to take care of! You're just  
here for moral support, Kinomoto-chan!"  
  
"Meiling-chan... why can't we all just work together for once?"  
  
"Because my Syaoran's the one and only Cardcaptor around here!"  
  
Off to the side, Syaoran sighs sadly, as he usually does whenever Meiling  
embarrasses him.  
  
======  
  
It's not long until all of them fall asleep. Tomoyo is sleeping in her own  
bed, while Sakura, Syaoran, and Meiling are on the floor, curled up inside  
sleeping bags. Sakura's bag is red with a pink cherry blossom pattern on it,  
while Syaoran and Meiling's are both just plain green.  
  
Thus far, Tomoyo seems to be sleeping comfortably. But suddenly, she starts  
to twist and turn as she lulls herself into a dream sequence...  
  
======  
  
"Sakura-chan! Behind you!"  
  
Sakura, dressed in another one of Tomoyo's battle costumes, hears Kero's pleas  
to watch out. She glances up into the sky behind her and spots the Clow Card  
preparing to fire an arrow at her. Immediately after the Clow Card lets the  
arrow fly, it quickly splits into two, then four, eight, sixteen, and so on,  
until there are hundreds of arrows in just a matter of seconds. And they're  
all heading for Sakura.  
  
"Fly!"  
  
Sakura quickly pulls out and activates the Fly card. She then jumps on her  
wand and takes flight, moving just as the arrows start hitting the ground.  
With some fancy flying, she manages to avoid them all. But she's not out of  
the woods yet, as the Clow Card fires off another arrow, which also begins to  
multiply, the same as before.  
  
Off to the side, Tomoyo is taping the whole battle with her camcorder, as she  
turns towards Syaoran and Meiling, who are off to her left. Syaoran has his  
sword out, getting ready to summon a spell.  
  
"Thunder god, answer my call!"  
  
Syaoran then swings his sword in the direction of the Clow Card. A thunderbolt  
comes flying out of the sword, aimed right at the card. But at the last moment,  
the card dodges the attack.  
  
"No way!" Meiling exclaims. "Syaoran had that card cornered!"  
  
"The Arrow card is one of the fastest cards!" Kero explains. "Even if you do  
get a chance to attack it, it's very hard to catch the card off-guard! We  
need a diversion!"  
  
Tomoyo suddenly gets a bright idea. Running with her camcorder in hand, she  
makes her way towards the group.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura shouts, not knowing what Tomoyo is trying.  
  
She gets almost directly underneath the Arrow Card. She then resumes recording,  
pointing the lens up at the card. As she's taping, she starts waving her left  
hand up and down.  
  
"Smile for the camera!" she shouts happily.  
  
"What's she doing?" Meiling shouts.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, get out of there! It's dangerous!"  
  
As expected, the Arrow Card aims and fires an arrow right at Tomoyo. She  
lowers her camcorder and makes a run for it as the arrows multiply quickly in  
mid-air. Both Meiling, on foot, and Sakura, flying on her wand, race to save  
Tomoyo. Kero looks on, hoping Sakura will make it in time. He then notices  
that Syaoran is not paying any attention to Sakura. Instead, his attention is  
focused towards the card floating in the sky.  
  
Meanwhile, Sakura flies as fast as she can to pull Tomoyo out of the line of  
fire. It's going to be close!  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, grab on!" Sakura yells as she sticks out her arm towards the  
fleeing Tomoyo.  
  
Tomoyo quickly grabs on as Sakura brings the wand to a stop. She pulls Tomoyo  
up, then flies out of the path. Well, almost, as one of the arrows hits the  
back of the wand, bringing it to an abrupt stop and without warning, throwing  
Sakura and Tomoyo into the air. The two girls hit the ground, tumbling a few  
feet before rolling to a stop.  
  
======  
  
"Thunder god, answer my call!"  
  
Syaoran fires another thunderbolt at the Arrow Card, who is distracted as she  
watches one of the arrows hit Sakura's wand. But that's all the card sees as  
the thunderbolt hits her, paralyzing her and sending her falling to the ground.  
The card hits the ground with a loud thud.  
  
"Seal it!" Syaoran yells to Sakura.  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
Syaoran then hears Kero screaming with a hint of worry in his voice. Turning  
to the right, he sees Meiling running towards Sakura and Tomoyo, who are both  
on the ground and not moving at all. Syaoran sheathes his sword and  
immediately runs over to help.  
  
By the time he gets there, Tomoyo is awake and alert as Meiling tends to her.  
Syaoran sees that Tomoyo has a few bruises and a scrape or two, but is  
otherwise fine. He then turns to Kero, who is shaking Sakura furiously. But  
she doesn't seem to be responding at all.  
  
"Sakura! Sakura!"  
  
Syaoran pushes Kero out of the way and moves Sakura so that she's lying flat  
on her back. He gasps, seeing some blood coming out of a cut on her forehead.  
He quickly examines the rest of Sakura, seeing assorted bruises and cuts all  
over.  
  
"What's going on?" Tomoyo asks, slowly pulling herself up as Meiling supports  
her. She then sees Syaoran with his head rested against Sakura's chest,  
listening for a heartbeat. "Sakura-chan!"  
  
She tries to limp over to Sakura's side, but Meiling stops her just as Syaoran  
glances back at them to tell them the bad news.  
  
"She doesn't have much time!"  
  
Tomoyo glances a few feet away, where the Key of Clow and her now damaged  
beyond repair camcorder lie on the ground. But her attention was now focused  
on Sakura, who seemingly sacrificed her life to save her.  
  
"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Wake up, Sakura-chan!"  
  
But Tomoyo's pleas for Sakura to wake up fall on deaf ears, as she fails to  
respond. Meiling runs off to find a phone in order to call for an ambulance.  
Tomoyo crawls her way over to Sakura's fallen body, where Syaoran is taking off  
the top layer of his robe in order to use it as a temporary wrapping to slow  
down the bleeding.  
  
"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!"  
  
"There is a way to save her."  
  
Tomoyo suddenly hears the strange voice talking to her. Without trying to  
figure where it's coming from, she immediately seeks its help.  
  
"How?"  
  
"There's only one way to do it, Daidouji Tomoyo."  
  
======  
  
Tomoyo wakes up from her dream. She immediately hops out of bed and runs out  
the door. The noise immediately awakens Syaoran, who quickly shakes the others  
up.  
  
"Nani?" Meiling asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.  
  
"What's going on, Li-kun?" Sakura asks before seeing that Tomoyo is not in bed  
anymore. "Where's Tomoyo-chan?"  
  
"She just ran out of here all of a sudden!" Syaoran exclaims.  
  
"Kero-chan, wake up!" Sakura yells, bring the guardian beast to his senses.  
  
"What?" he shouts, before freezing in his tracks. "I sense a Clow Card!"  
  
Sakura and Syaoran glance at each other and nod in unison. They sense it now  
as well. It was time to go to work. Sakura pulls out the Key of Clow from  
under her shirt and prepares to summon her wand. But before she could so,  
Tomoyo bursts back into the room. And she's holding something over her head,  
though it's hard to see what it is in the dark.  
  
"There's only one way to do it," the mysterious voice tells Tomoyo. "You must  
destroy the Clow mistress!"  
  
To be continued...  
  
Coming in Chapter 4:  
- Will Tomoyo really get rid of Sakura?  
- Can Sakura help her friend without harming her, even if she has to risk her  
own life for it?  
- Could there be one last secret to the Clow Cards that Kero hasn't told our  
heroes yet? 


	5. Four

"The Deepest Friendship" - A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfic  
Story Written by Freedom Fighter  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Tomoyo's trying to take out Sakura! Will she be able to stop her friend  
without hurting her?  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the characters from the  
TV series.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Chapter Four (08.06.02)  
  
Tomoyo bursts into the room, holding what looks like a 16th-century ceramic  
vase over her head. But Sakura and the others are having a hard time seeing  
the object, on account of the room being almost completely dark.  
  
"You must separate the spirit of the Clow Mistress from your friend! And the  
only way to do that is to kill the body the spirit possesses!"  
  
The voice keeps motivating Tomoyo on as she approaches Sakura.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura calls out. "What's going on?"  
  
"Look out!" Syaoran yells, spotting Tomoyo heading towards Sakura.  
  
Tomoyo uses all of her might to hurl the vase right at Sakura's head. Sakura  
sees it coming at the last moment and jumps out of the way. The vase hits the  
floor, smashing into pieces instantly.  
  
"Hoe!"  
  
"She's gone crazy!" Meilin shouts.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan! Why are you doing this?"  
  
Tomoyo turns to face Sakura to answer her question. Sakura then spots  
Tomoyo's lifeless eyes as her best friend responds in a trance-like state.  
  
"I must save Sakura-chan from the Clow Mistress."  
  
"What? That doesn't make any sense!"  
  
"Meilin-chan, that's the Clow Card talking! The card's taken over her body."  
  
Sakura glances at Kero with concern on her face. "Kero-chan, what card is  
it?"  
  
Kero thinks for a minute. "Possession... possession... what card takes  
control of a person's body without being detected?"  
  
"I must save Sakura-chan from the Clow Mistress," Tomoyo repeats.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, snap out of it! It's me, Sakura!"  
  
Unable to snap Tomoyo out of her trance, Sakura turns to Syaoran for  
suggestions.  
  
"Li-kun! How can we get Tomoyo back to normal?"  
  
Now Syaoran begins to think out loud. "It's somewhat similar to the Sword  
Card, which possessed your friend Rika."  
  
"That's it!" Sakura exclaims, coming up with a bright idea.  
  
Sakura turns her attention towards the Key of Clow as she begins to recite  
the incantation that changes it to a wand.  
  
"The Key which hides the powers of the Dark! Show your true powers before me!  
I, Sakura, command you under our contract! RELEASE!"  
  
The Key lights up and expands into a wand, which Sakura grabs a hold of. Once  
the transformation sequence ends, Sakura immediately pulls out the Illusion  
card.  
  
"If it's a similar situation as it was with Rika-chan, then all I have to do  
is use the Illusion card to distract her long enough to knock her out of her  
trance!"  
  
"Wait, Sakura!"  
  
Kero flies in front of Sakura, blocking her view of Tomoyo.  
  
"Kero-chan!"  
  
"It won't work! With the Sword card, the trance was broken when you chopped  
the sword out of your friend's hand. But there's nothing you can use to  
knock Tomoyo out of the trance without physically touching her, as well as  
possibly hurting her."  
  
"Then what do I do, Kero-chan? There must be a card I can use!"  
  
"First things first! We must figure out what card this is."  
  
"I must save Sakura-chan from the Clow Mistress."  
  
"What does that mean anyway?" Meilin asks after hearing Tomoyo saying the  
same line again. "Kinomoto is the Clow Mistress! Right, Syaoran?"  
  
"I don't understand this at all either. What kind of card has the ability to  
take control of somebody?"  
  
Kero then snaps his fingers as an idea pops into his head. "That's it!  
You're actually good for something, kid!"  
  
Syaoran clenches his fist in anger. "I'm not just a kid, you know!"  
  
"Kero-chan, what's up?"  
  
"When the kid asked what kind of card we're fighting, that got me thinking.  
Maybe it's one of the Forbidden Clow Cards!"  
  
"Forbidden?"  
  
"I've heard of the Forbidden Clow Cards. They're the cards Clow Reed created,  
but proved to be too dangerous for humans."  
  
Sakura becomes a little frightened upon hearing this, as her body starts to  
shake.  
  
"Too dangerous?" she asks Kero nervously. "Too dangerous how?"  
  
"There were only three such cards," Kero explains, "but even one was one too  
many."  
  
Suddenly, Syaoran leaps over Tomoyo's bed and unsheathes his sword, holding it  
out right in front of Sakura and Kero. Just as their view is obstructed, they  
hear a faint 'ping' sound. A small object is deflected into the air. It  
lands behind Sakura and Kero on Tomoyo's dresser. Sakura walks over and picks  
it up.  
  
"It's a threading needle!" Sakura exclaims as she examines. She then turns  
towards Syaoran to thank him. "Li-kun, you saved me!"  
  
Syaoran turns around to face Sakura. To her surprise, his face is blushing  
brightly red.  
  
"Um, it's nothing," he mutters quickly before doing an about face and turning  
his attention towards the needle thrower herself. After quickly pondering to  
herself why Syaoran would blush over something like that, she too turns her  
attention towards Tomoyo, who is now standing by the door.  
  
"We've got to stop her before she does something really rash!" Kero shouts.  
  
"I must save Sakura-chan from the Clow Mistress. The Clow Mistress must be  
destroyed to save Sakura-chan's soul!"  
  
"You don't have to do that!" Sakura shouts, waving her arms about in a panic,  
attempting to convince Tomoyo not to kill her. "My soul's fine where it is!"  
  
"I've had enough of this!"  
  
Sakura, Kero, and Syaoran turn to their left as they see Meilin walking over  
towards Tomoyo.  
  
"I know of one way to bring somebody to their senses!"  
  
As Meilin raises her right arm to slap Tomoyo across the face, Syaoran yells  
out a warning.  
  
"Meilin, be careful!"  
  
Meilin is now standing right in front of Tomoyo, with her arm still up in the  
air. She then brings it down in one swift motion, connecting with Tomoyo's  
cheek. Or so she thinks.  
  
In reality, Tomoyo somehow manages to catch Meilin's arm in mid-air before it  
had hit her. Everyone, including Meilin herself, gasps in surprise. Tomoyo  
then flashes an evil smile before swinging around and hitting Meilin with a  
low roundhouse kick. Meilin is knocked off her feet as a result. She falls  
backwards, landing with a hard thud.  
  
"Meilin!"  
  
"Meilin-chan!"  
  
Sakura and Syaoran rush over to Meilin's side, helping her get up. As they  
do, they watch helplessly as Tomoyo runs out of the room.  
  
"H-h-h-how did she do that?" Meilin asks, trying to ignore the pain she now  
feels on her head and back.  
  
"That card's really got a hold of her, that's for sure."  
  
"Meilin-chan, are you alright?"  
  
Meilin glares at Sakura. "This is all your fault, Kinomoto! How could you  
let a Clow Card take over her body?"  
  
"It's not like I knew it was there before!" Sakura shouts back.  
  
"We don't have time for this," Syaoran states, stopping the two girls from  
arguing. Turning to Sakura, he says, "You've got to keep an eye on Tomoyo!  
Make sure she doesn't hurt anyone. Or herself, for that matter."  
  
Sakura nods in agreement. "Right! Come on, Kero-chan!"  
  
Sakura runs out, with Kero flying right behind her. Once they are gone,  
Meilin starts shouting at Syaoran.  
  
"Why are you letting her go alone? She'll get the Clow Card!"  
  
"We'll go after the card soon enough. I just want to make sure that you're  
okay!"  
  
"I'm fine!"  
  
Meilin tries to get to her feet, but the pain in her back gets considerably  
worse as she moves.  
  
"Owwwww! It hurts!"  
  
"I want you to stay here!"  
  
"Syaoran! I want to help you!"  
  
"You can't! Not when you can hurt yourself even more!"  
  
"But Syaoran..."  
  
"No! I don't want you to get hurt!"  
  
Meilin then crosses her arms over her chest and begins to pout. "You just  
want to be alone with Kinomoto, don't you?  
  
Syaoran jumps back nervously. "That's not true!"  
  
"I saw you blushing, Syaoran! You like her, don't you?"  
  
"Well I..."  
  
"Syaoran! I thought it was supposed to be you and me, not you and her!"  
  
"Meilin, we don't have time to discuss this! Sakura-chan might need me."  
  
"So, it's Sakura-chan now? How come you call her Sakura-chan and you call me  
Meilin, not Meilin-chan? I want to know!"  
  
"Meilin... it's not what you think!"  
  
"You do have feelings for her!"  
  
"Meilin, I've gotta go! Sakura doesn't know what she's up against! She  
needs me! So stay here and let me take care of things!"  
  
Syaoran then runs out the door, leaving Meilin alone in the room to shout  
hysterically.  
  
"She needs you? I need you! It's supposed to be us, us, US!"  
  
  
======  
  
  
Outside the mansion, the front gates are open... a sign that Tomoyo had  
already left the grounds.  
  
"Sakura!" Kero yells. "We've got to find Tomoyo-chan fast!"  
  
Sakura pulls out the Fly card and summons it.  
  
"FLY!"  
  
The sealing staff transforms, absorbing the Fly card's powers and growing  
wings on the back end. Sakura straddles the wand and prepares to take off  
just as Syaoran appears by the front door.  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
"Li-kun!"  
  
Sakura extends her hand out. Syaoran grabs it without hesitation and hops on  
just as the wand lifts off of the ground and flies into the air. Kero flies  
next to them, issuing them a warning of doom.  
  
"We don't know how much control the card has over Tomoyo! We've got to find  
her before the card completely takes her body over!"  
  
"And what happens if we can't find her in time?" Sakura asks.  
  
"Then Tomoyo and the whole town... will not live to see sunrise."  
  
  
  
Coming in Chapter 5:  
- Tomoyo heads towards downtown Tomoeda in order to set a trap for Sakura.  
- Kero explains the history of the Forbidden Clow Cards.  
- Meilin disobeys Syaoran by going out after him anyway! 


	6. Five

"The Deepest Friendship" - A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfic  
Story Written by Freedom Fighter  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Tomoyo's trying to take out Sakura! Will she be able to stop her friend  
without hurting her?  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the characters from the  
TV series.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Chapter Five (08.12.02)  
  
Tomoyo walks through the streets of Tomoeda, obviously searching for something.  
While doing so, she seems to be talking to someone, although there is no one  
else in sight.  
  
"Please tell me!" Tomoyo shouts.  
  
Tomoyo continues to walk along the path in dead silence.  
  
"Tell me!"  
  
More walking and once again, no response.  
  
"Tell me! Tell me how to save Sakura-chan!"  
  
She stops walking and falls to her knees, as tears come to her eyes.  
  
"The Clow Mistress must be destroyed to save her soul!" a ghastly voice tells  
her.  
  
"But that can't be! Sakura-chan is the Clow Mistress. She's the cardcaptor!"  
  
"Yes. But the Clow Cards have taken a hold of her. They're slowly zapping  
the energy from her. Soon enough, she'll be weak enough for all of the cards  
to escape. And then it'll be too late for her!"  
  
"No! You're lying!"  
  
"It's true!"  
  
"You're lying! She captured the cards fair and square! Why would they turn  
against her?"  
  
"The cards have powers that not even your friend understands. They are  
taking over her body as we speak. Soon, she won't have any energy to fight  
back. And then, the cards will control her!"  
  
Tomoyo then comes to her senses, as she dries the tears from her eyes with the  
back of her hands.  
  
"That's it! That's what you're doing to me, isn't it? Taking control of me  
so that I'll get rid of Sakura-chan for you!"  
  
"My, you're a smart girl."  
  
"I bet you're zapping my strength away! And soon, there will be no way for  
me to fight back. Then you'll be free to hurt Sakura and the others!"  
  
"Bravo! I'm happy you figured it out! Too bad you won't be in enough control  
to tell anyone the truth!"  
  
All of a sudden, Tomoyo clutches her stomach in pain. The spirit is speeding  
up the zapping process.  
  
"In mere moments, your body will fully belong to me!"  
  
  
======  
  
  
Sakura and Syaoran are flying over the city, searching high and low for Tomoyo.  
Kero is right with them, searching with them.  
  
"Kero-chan," Sakura began, "explain the whole concept of Forbidden Clow Cards  
again. Maybe it'll provide a clue as to what the card might want with  
Tomoyo-chan."  
  
"Just what exactly can these cards do?" Syaoran asked, for the first time  
clueless about what to do against a Clow Card.  
  
Kero thinks for a minute before beginning to tell the story of the Forbidden  
Clow Cards.  
  
  
======  
  
  
[Flashback mode]  
  
"When Clow Reed was creating the Clow Cards, he created three extra cards.  
These extras would eventually end up becoming the Forbidden Clow Cards. And  
each card possessed a certain power that Clow Reed decided were too strong to  
be used regularly by anyone. It was even rumored that they're stronger than  
the four elemental cards."  
  
"Stronger than the Windy, Watery, Firey, and Earth cards?"  
  
"Yes, Sakura. We should be thankful that you have three of the four. They  
may prove very useful against the Forbiddens."  
  
"So, about the cards..."  
  
"Keep your socks on kid, I'm getting to that part! Anyway, the names of the  
three cards were Poison..."  
  
A card appears on the screen with the picture of a needle on it.  
  
"Psychic..."  
  
The next card appears with a magic hat and a crystal ball in the picture.  
  
"And Ghost..."  
  
The third card has a ghost drawn on it.  
  
[End flashback mode]  
  
  
======  
  
  
"Hoooeeeee! Not a ghost!"  
  
"This is no time to be scared! We have to save Tomoyo."  
  
"But Li-kun... a g-g-g-g-g-g-ghost c-c-c-c-card!"  
  
"After all this time, you're still afraid of ghosts?"  
  
"I can't help it!" Sakura screams, placing her hands on top of her head.  
"They're so scary!"  
  
"Sakura!" Kero shouts. "Pull yourself together! A cardcaptor is physically  
and mentally prepared for anything!"  
  
"Why did it have to be night?" Sakura wails.  
  
"Which card is it?" Syaoran asks Kero.  
  
"Well, I think we can rule out the Poison card. If Tomoyo-chan had been  
taken over by that card, the poison would've surely killed her by now...  
oops."  
  
Kero tries to cover his mouth, but he's too late. Sakura had heard Kero's  
description of the card and it had made her even more scared.  
  
"We've gotta find Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
"Wait!" Syaoran shouts. "We have to figure out what we're up against first!"  
  
"Right," Kero continues. "That leaves the Ghost and Psychic cards. But how  
to determine which one has her?"  
  
"What's the difference between the two?"  
  
"The Ghost card gives someone the ability to see ghosts, ghouls, goblins...  
practically anything undead or spiritual, it's fair game!"  
  
"Hoooooooeeeeeeee!" Sakura screams again.  
  
"And the Psychic?"  
  
"The Psychic card can play tricks on someone's mind, forcing them to do  
something they wouldn't normally do."  
  
"It must be the Psychic card! Tomoyo would never hurt Sakura on purpose."  
  
"If it is," Sakura asks, still a bit shaken up, "then how do we get the card  
to let go of her?"  
  
"That part I don't know."  
  
Sakura sweatdrops. "You've got to be kidding."  
  
Syaoran then gets an idea. "Sakura, head for my apartment!"  
  
"Huh? Why?"  
  
"Wei might be able to help us out."  
  
Sakura nods. She then redirects their path towards Li's apartment, with Kero  
following closely behind them.  
  
  
======  
  
  
Back down on street level, a stubborn Meilin limps along, holding her back as  
she gives chase.  
  
"Dammit, Syaoran! Why do you care so much for Kinomoto? We're the ones that  
are engaged to be married!"  
  
Meilin continues to move as fast as her body will allow, gritting her teeth as  
she tries to bear the ever-growing pain from her back.  
  
"I'll show Kinomoto! You too, Syaoran! I'll capture that Clow Card myself if  
I have to prove how much I love you!"  
  
  
======  
  
  
At the apartment building where Syaoran and Meilin live with their guardian  
Wei, Syaoran bursts in the door and heads straight for the bookshelf. Sakura  
and Kero follow him in.  
  
Syaoran stops in front of the bookshelf in the living room and starts  
searching for a certain book. Sakura, with her staff in her left hand, stops  
next to him. At that moment, Wei enters the room and Kero immediately goes  
into stuffed animal mode, landing on Sakura's right shoulder.  
  
"Sir Syaoran? I thought you were staying at Lady Tomoyo's place tonight."  
  
"It's an emergency. We're looking for a book that contains information on  
the Forbidden Clow Cards."  
  
"The Forbidden Clow Cards? Well, let me think."  
  
Wei thinks to himself as he tries to remember where he saw some information  
about the cards in one of the books. After a minute, he finally reaches for  
the bookshelf and pulls out one of them... written all in Chinese characters,  
of course.  
  
"This might have something about that in here, but I'm not sure."  
  
Wei hands Syaoran the book. He immediately scans the contents as Sakura is  
forced to look on and only wonder, as she can't read Chinese.  
  
"Are you just going to look over my shoulder or are you going to help?"  
Syaoran asks as he looks up at her.  
  
"But I can't read Chinese."  
  
"There's a Japanese-Chinese dictionary you may use," Wei tells her, pointing  
to a book on the left side of the bookcase.  
  
Sakura grabs it, as well as another book from the the shelf. Then, using the  
dictionary, she tries to decipher the letters on the first page.  
  
"This'll take forever, Li-kun! It may be too late to save Tomoyo-chan by the  
time we get through all of these books!"  
  
"Then I suggest you learn Chinese real quick. We've got a lot of reading  
ahead of us."  
  
  
======  
  
  
Back with Meilin now, as she turns a corner and finds Tomoyo lying on the  
ground, unconscious. She runs over to check on her.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, wake up! Don't you dare tell me that you're dead already!"  
  
But just as she reaches Tomoyo, the young girl awakens and gets up. The  
sudden arisal spooks Meilin slightly.  
  
"Don't do that! You scared me half to death!"  
  
Tomoyo then smiles evilly at Meilin... before attacking her with a high kick  
to the face. Luckily, Meilin blocks the attack by crossing her arms in front  
of her face just as the kick reaches her. The force of the blow knocks her  
back a foot or two, though.  
  
"Alright Clow Card, you want a fight? I'll give you one!"  
  
Meilin raises her fists and crouches into a ready position. "I'll capture  
that card and get it out of Tomoyo-chan... even if I have to do it by force!"  
  
  
  
Coming in Chapter 6:  
- Meilin faces off with a fully-possessed Tomoyo... not good for Meilin-chan.  
- Finding a possible answer, Syaoran, Sakura, and Kero rush to the scene.  
- And you'll never guess who drops by the scene to offer some help! 


	7. Six

"The Deepest Friendship" - A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfic  
Story Written by Freedom Fighter  
  
Rating: PG  
  
A familiar ally comes to the rescue... sort of! See what happens tonight  
in the sixth chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the characters from the  
TV series.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Chapter Six (08.19.02)  
  
Tomoyo and Meilin, standing in the middle of a deserted street at night in  
downtown Tomoeda, stare each other down. Meilin is crouched in a ready  
position, with her fists clenched and held right in front of her chest.  
Tomoyo, on the other hand, stands there casually with her arms to the side.  
  
"Clow Card, show yourself! I challenge you to a fight!"  
  
"I'm right here," Tomoyo replied, but not in her voice. It was the voice of  
the ghastly spirit that had taken control of her. "Fight me if you dare!"  
  
Without another word, Meilin charges at Tomoyo, screaming a battle cry as she  
does. Meilin swings her right arm right at Tomoyo. But Tomoyo blocks the  
punch, lifting her left hand and catching the punch. Meilin responds by  
quickly throwing another punch, this time with her left hand. But Tomoyo  
catches that one too. Meilin throws three more consecutive punches,  
alternating hands, but Tomoyo still blocks all of them.  
  
"What the?" Meilin exclaimed, stepping back. "You don't know how to block  
martial arts attacks!"  
  
"I don't? Silly me. I guess you want me to act as the girl normally would."  
Tomoyo smirks. "Fat chance of that happening!"  
  
"Then I'll just have to serve it up!"  
  
Going on the offensive once again, Meilin starts punching and kicking at  
Tomoyo as fast as she can. But Tomoyo continues to block each and every blow.  
Eventually, Meilin tires out from exhaustion and her aching back.  
  
"How can this be? I threw everything I had at you!"  
  
"Pity that it won't be enough."  
  
Tomoyo then runs right at Meilin and starts punching away. Meilin blocks the  
first few shots, but one gets through, hitting her in the left cheek. It  
turns Meilin around temporarily, giving Tomoyo enough time to add a flying  
kick. Tomoyo hits Meilin right in stomach, sending the Chinese girl to the  
ground hard, causing even more pain from her injured back.  
  
"I wanted to eliminate the Clow Mistress, but you'll do gladly for now."  
  
Tomoyo runs over to a nearby lightpole and tries to pull out, intending to  
finish off Meilin by whacking her with it. Unfortunately, the evil spirit  
greatly overestimated Tomoyo's abilities, as the pole didn't even budge.  
  
"Curse this girl's body! She can't do anything!"  
  
Tomoyo walks over to Meilin, who is fighting with herself to stay conscious.  
  
"If I had your body though, it would be a little easier to get around."  
  
"You'll have to kill me first to get it!"  
  
"Unfortunately, that won't work. The only way I can take control of you is to  
get rid of this body."  
  
Tomoyo then smiles evilly as Meilin realizes his plan.  
  
"You can't kill her! Kill me first!"  
  
"It's too late! Soon, this young girl will be swimming with the fishes. Then  
I'll escape from her body, take over yours, and then use you to get rid of the  
Clow Mistress! It's perfect!"  
  
"No it's not! Really! Kill me first! I don't mind!"  
  
"Your cries of sacrifice are falling on deaf ears! And soon, this girl won't  
be able to hear anything at all!"  
  
Tomoyo then begins to laugh maniacally. But for a brief moment, the real  
Tomoyo breaks through long enough to issue a plea of help.  
  
"Meilin-chan! Help me!"  
  
"Tomoyo-chan?"  
  
"Not here," Tomoyo replied, back in the spirit's voice.  
  
"Let go of her, you evil Clow Card thingy!"  
  
"That's so frightening," Tomoyo stated sarcastically.  
  
Tomoyo then kicks Meilin in the stomach, making her turn over and face in the  
other direction as she clutches her stomach in pain.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. I'm just knocking you out so that I  
can buy some time to get rid of this body. But then I'll be back for you."  
  
Tomoyo kicks Meilin again, this time in back. This particular hit makes her  
scream out in pain.  
  
  
======  
  
  
About a block or so away, a red haired woman dressed in all black heard  
Meilin's cries for help. Sensing danger, but not the presence of the  
cardcaptor, Clow's descendant, or the guardian beast, she runs towards the  
scene.  
  
"This entity," she thought to herself as she ran, "it's powerful. Very  
powerful. But how did it get here to Japan?"  
  
  
======  
  
  
Back at Li's apartment, Syaoran and Sakura continue their search through the  
books, looking for an answer to their dilemma.  
  
"I don't get it!" Syaoran said. "Why wouldn't Clow Reed leave some type of  
record of his creation of the Forbidden Clow Cards?"  
  
"Li-kun," Sakura began, "maybe we're approaching this the wrong way."  
  
"What? What do you mean?"  
  
"Maybe we shouldn't be searching for information on what the cards are. We  
already know that. Besides, he probably wouldn't write the information down  
in a book..."  
  
"Because he wouldn't want anyone to either find the first set," Syaoran  
finished. "Or create a second one."  
  
"But I bet that somewhere he's written something down in case of an emergency.  
You know, if someone really did get a hold of them."  
  
"Yeah, so? I don't really follow, Sakura."  
  
"Clow Reed must have a journal, diary, or something which he kept a personal  
record of his life. Where else would you keep information that you didn't  
want anyone to find out about, not even the guardian beast himself?"  
  
"It all makes sense," Kero chanted, coming out of his trance.  
  
"I almost forgot the stuffed animal was here with us. He was being so quiet.  
For once."  
  
"Stop calling me a stuffed animal!"  
  
"Kero-chan, Li-kun, this isn't the time! We've got to find that journal."  
  
Syaoran starts searching the book bindings for any titles that may signify  
that it was a journal of Clow Reed's. Alas, no luck.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Then what do we do? We can't let Tomoyo roam around town all night causing  
mischief!"  
  
"There's one option we haven't tried yet."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Wei!"  
  
Li's guardian walks into the room.  
  
"Yes, Sir Syaoran?"  
  
"I need to call... my mother."  
  
  
======  
  
  
Back downtown, Meilin crawls against the wall of a nearby store, still  
gritting in pain over her aching back. In fact, the pain was so great that  
she was on the verge of crying. But she had no time to worry about that, as  
the possessed body of Tomoyo walked towards her, looking to inflict a little  
more pain before departing.  
  
"You're tougher than I thought," Tomoyo admitted. "No matter. That at least  
assures me a better chance at offing the cardcaptor when I take control of  
you!"  
  
Tomoyo rears her right foot back, preparing to kick Meilin in the face this  
time. But she stops, sensing something in the air. Tomoyo puts her foot down  
and starts looking around the area.  
  
"There's another Clow Card here!"  
  
Tomoyo closes her eyes and tries to concentrate and find the Clow Card. But  
with her senses focused elsewhere, she missed the presence of a certain  
someone who's come to rescue Meilin.  
  
"Mitsuki-sensei?"  
  
Miss Kaho Mitsuki, the woman who taught the fifth grade class that Meilin and  
the others shared, was standing right in front of her.  
  
"Being out this late at night can be dangerous," she tells Meilin as she  
kneels down and tries to comfort her.  
  
"Don't get near her," Meilin cried, pointing at Tomoyo. "She's not feeling  
well. She tries to fight off anyone who tries to get close to her."  
  
Miss Mitsuki glances at Tomoyo, who is still in her trance. She also begins  
to feel a strange presence approaching... although the one inside the young  
girl in front of her seemed to be overpowering it.  
  
"The hold on her is strong. And getting stronger by the minute."  
  
"Stronger?" Meilin asked, a bit fearful of the response.  
  
"Yes. And any second now..."  
  
She never gets a chance to finish her statement, as a flash of white light  
envelopes Tomoyo. The young ten year old falls to her knees, screaming in  
pain as something courses through her body.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
Meilin gets up and starts to run over towards Tomoyo, but Miss Mitsuki stops  
her.  
  
"It wouldn't be wise to jump in with your condition."  
  
Meilin didn't object, as the sudden rise had once again double the intensity  
of the pain on her back. Meilin wails loudly as she sits back down on the  
pavement, wishing for the pain to stop. Miss Mitsuki helps Meilin lay down  
on the ground.  
  
"It hurts so much!" Meilin cried, as tears came to her eyes.  
  
"Don't worry," her teacher told her, looking back at the still-enveloped  
Tomoyo just a few yards away. "Help will be on the way."  
  
  
======  
  
  
Sakura paces back and forth in the kitchen as she listens into Syaoran's  
phone conversation with his mother.  
  
"Yes, as far as I know, the card already has control of her."  
  
Sakura got more nervous by the moment as Syaoran takes some mental notes of  
what his mom is telling him.  
  
"The psychic card. We don't know if the other two cards around."  
  
He listens closely as his mother tells him another dangerous aspect of the  
Clow Cards.  
  
"What? You mean the cards are attracted to each other?"  
  
"Attracted to each other?" Sakura asks. "How, Li-kun?"  
  
He covers the receiver for a second as he explains what his mother had just  
told him.  
  
"When one of the Forbiddens takes over a human's body, then the other two  
will automatically sense that. And then..."  
  
Before Syaoran could finish, his face grows serious. Sakura and Kero also  
begin to sense something.  
  
"It's another Clow Card," Kero told them.  
  
Syaoran quickly turns back to the phone and wishes his mom a quick goodbye.  
  
"I'm sorry mom, but I gotta go. You may be right about your theory. We've  
got to get her now."  
  
He then hangs the phone up and runs out of the room, towards the front door.  
Sakura and Kero follow right after them, wondering what's going on.  
  
"We're going after the Clow Card, right?"  
  
"Sakura, we may be over our heads on this one. It might be another one of  
the Forbiddens."  
  
"Whoa! No way!"  
  
"Kero-chan... are we really up against something we can't beat?"  
  
"Are you leaving?" Wei asks the duo as they put their shoes back on.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan's in serious trouble! We have to save her!"  
  
Grabbing her wand, Sakura immediately pulls the Fly card out again and summons  
it.  
  
"FLY!"  
  
Sakura hops on, straddling the wand once again. Without hesitation, Syaoran  
sits down behind her, accidentally reaching for Sakura's waist instead of the  
wand itself, which he usually held onto. But he failed to notice it, as his  
mind was focused on other things. Sakura noticed however, but she didn't do  
anything about it. At least for the time being.  
  
Sakura and Syaoran take to the air, with Kero following behind them.  
  
"Li-kun, what were you saying about the Forbiddens?"  
  
"Well, as I was saying, the other two cards are attracted to the one that now  
has control over Tomoyo. As powerful as the cards are separately, mother said  
that together they could be impossible to capture."  
  
"But the cards are coming to Tomoyo, right? We just wait for them to come,  
capture the other two, and then deal with the one that has Tomoyo-chan."  
  
"It's not that easy. The longer a card has possession of a body, the stronger  
it gets. How strong a card is determines how easily the Forbiddens can merge  
together."  
  
"Just how strong could the one in Tomoyo-chan be?"  
  
"Depends. Under normal circumstances, it would take at least another 12 hours  
to be strong enough to begin to attract the other two Forbiddens. But..."  
  
"The Clow Card we just sensed! Could it be one of them?"  
  
"It must be. That means somehow Tomoyo figured out that the card had control  
of her, so she must have tried to fight it. But doing so makes the situation  
worse. In order to keep control of her, the card probably amplified its power,  
shortening the length of time that it would take for the other two cards to  
become attracted to her."  
  
"So you mean that one of the cards is already here in Tomoeda, searching for  
Tomoyo and the Psychic card that has her under its control?"  
  
"Worse. If my instincts are right... that card has already found her."  
  
Sakura gasps. "Oh no! Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
"I can still sense the card. It must still be trying to complete the merge.  
We have to get there before the merge completes. Or before the third card  
appears."  
  
  
  
Coming in Chapter 7:  
- Miss Mitsuki pulls Meilin to safety as Tomoyo completes the merge.  
- Sakura, Syaoran, and Kero arrive, still without a plan on how to stop Tomoyo.  
- The final Forbidden appears! Can Sakura keep it from reaching Tomoyo-chan? 


	8. Seven

"The Deepest Friendship" - A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfic  
Story Written by Freedom Fighter  
  
Rating: PG  
  
There's got to be a way to help Tomoyo. Have Sakura and Syaoran found a  
solution yet? Read on and see...  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the characters from the  
TV series.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Chapter Seven (08.26.02)  
  
Downtown, the sound of Tomoyo screaming and the resulting flash from the merging  
of two Clow Cards inside of her brought the street to an unexpected early rise,  
as curious families and apartment residents glance outside their windows to  
see what's going on. But the light is so bright that not many people can see  
much.  
  
That is, until the light finally dies down a minute later. Tomoyo is on the  
ground, out once again as all of the power coursing through her body had been  
very exhausting.  
  
On street level, Meilin continues to ache all over as she fights the urge to  
run to Tomoyo's side to try and draw the cards out. Miss Mitsuki is with her,  
monitoring her condition, as well as Tomoyo's. But she knew that this wasn't  
over. Not by a long shot.  
  
"Owwww! It hurts!"  
  
Miss Mitsuki places her hands on Meilin's shoulders, attempting to get her to  
calm down and relax.  
  
"The pain will go away if you lay down and rest."  
  
"But... but..."  
  
She then stands up, lifting up Meilin so that she's cradled in her arms.  
  
"I'll take you to my place. You can rest there."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Don't worry. I'm sure your friends can handle things."  
  
  
======  
  
  
As Miss Mutsuki and Meilin disappear into the night, Sakura, Syaoran, and  
Kero land nearby, already noticing the lights in the street.  
  
"I'm sure of it," Syaoran confirmed. "I don't sense it anymore, but the  
signal is definitely coming from over there."  
  
"But look at all of the lights," Sakura said, with a hint of worry in her  
voice. "There might be people there who've already seen Tomoyo. They might  
think she's an evil spirit or something!"  
  
"Get a hold of yourself," Kero told her. "This isn't the time to worry about  
what anyone's already seen. Or what they might see, now that I think about  
it."  
  
"This is no time to be discrete. We've got only one shot... to charge in  
there and get Tomoyo out."  
  
"But if we just fly in there, everyone will see us. And what if... Tomoyo  
tries to attack us?"  
  
"You call yourself a cardcaptor?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"If you were truly a cardcaptor, you'd charge in there and do whatever it  
takes to get those Clow Cards. You've been after them for months now. Just  
because two of them have control of Tomoyo doesn't mean that it's any  
different! A Clow Card's a Clow Card, and you have to seal them away!"  
  
Sakura thought about it, but she knew that Syaoran was right. No matter what  
happened, this wouldn't be over until she had sealed the cards. But there  
was still one problem Syaoran had forgotten about.  
  
"Li-kun, we still don't know how to seal them."  
  
"Let's worry about getting Tomoyo to safety before a bystander gets hurt  
trying to help her."  
  
"The kid's right. You have to be brave. Tomoyo's fighting it as best as  
she can. But she can't do it alone."  
  
Sakura clenches her fist as a serious look appears on her face.  
  
"I'm coming, Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
Sakura gets back on her wand and flies towards the scene. Kero flies after  
her, leaving Syaoran to run there on foot.  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
But she wasn't hearing Syaoran's calls for a lift as she sped away. Syaoran  
began running as fast as he could, giving chase.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, everything will be back to normal soon. I promise."  
  
  
======  
  
  
Tomoyo was still unconscious, lying face first on the ground. A few men were  
already on the street, intending to help the girl and get her to the hospital  
as soon as possible. Others looked on, praying for the girl's safety.  
  
Just as the men reach Tomoyo, she wakes up.  
  
"Miss, are you okay?" one of them asks.  
  
Tomoyo smirks evilly before floating up into the air. Obviously spooked, the  
men run towards a nearby building, seeking cover.  
  
"How dare you try and touch me!" she boasted loudly. "No one is allowed to  
touch me! I am your queen, and I order you to bow before me!"  
  
"Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
Tomoyo turns and sees Sakura flying towards her. Sakura's shocked, to say the  
least, to see her best friend floating in mid-air. The onlookers, on the other  
hand, were spooked to see a second girl in the air, this one flying on a wand.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, you're floating!"  
  
"Yes, Clow Mistress! The girl you know as Tomoyo-chan will soon be no more!"  
  
"What have you done with her?"  
  
"I am controlling her, harnessing her life energy in order to attract all of  
the Forbidden Clow Cards' powers together! Two of them are inside of her  
right now, and the third is not far away. I can sense it coming near."  
  
Sakura thought to herself. "If the psychic card's already in her, and she's  
floating... that means she has the ghost card inside of her now as well!"  
  
"That's how you're able to float now! You've got the g-g-g-ghost card!"  
  
"That's right, Clow Mistress! And Tomoyo's conscious tells me that you're  
afraid of ghosts."  
  
"So... w-w-w-w-what are you going to d-d-d-d-do?"  
  
"Well, I could turn this girl into a ghost."  
  
"You wouldn't..."  
  
"But then, the third card would never arrive because we don't have a host."  
  
Tomoyo glances down and notices for the first time that Meilin is gone.  
  
"I was thinking about using that other girl to complete the merge, since she's  
so much stronger."  
  
"You leave Meilin-chan out of this!"  
  
"But since she's gone... well, there's always you."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Wouldn't it be ironic? The girl destined to save the world from evil by  
capturing the Clow Cards may actually use her powers to bring about the  
world's end."  
  
"That's not going to happen! Not while I'm here!"  
  
"Well, it can't happen. Until I dump this body first, that is."  
  
"I won't let you!"  
  
"And you're going to stop me?"  
  
"I'll do whatever it takes!"  
  
Sakura reaches for her card deck to search for a card to use against Tomoyo.  
But before she can decide, Tomoyo flies away, heading for the park.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, wait!"  
  
Sakura flies after Tomoyo just as Kero shows up on the scene.  
  
"Sakura! Hold on a minute!"  
  
Kero, unaware of what has just happened, chases after Sakura.  
  
  
======  
  
  
Tomoyo runs across the street and up the stairs leading to the park entrance.  
Sakura and Kero follow her from a safe distance.  
  
"Sakura, what are you doing?"  
  
"Kero-chan, I have to follow Tomoyo-chan! I don't want her hurting anybody.  
Or herself."  
  
"Herself?"  
  
"The cards might try to kill her so that they can find a more suitable host."  
  
"Someone with more magical power, perhaps? Like you?"  
  
"Hoe! Don't remind me, Kero-chan! It scares me just to think about it!"  
  
"Then you've got to keep her from moving! If she gets away, who knows what  
might happen to her while we're trying to find her again!"  
  
"You're right."  
  
Sakura whips out one of her cards and prepares to summon it.  
  
"WOOD! Form a forest around Tomoyo, trapping her inside!"  
  
Wood appears from her card and flies right in front of Tomoyo. With a light  
sprinkle of magical seeds, a forest sprouts up from the sidewalk on all sides,  
instantly trapping Tomoyo within its walls.  
  
"Good going, Sakura!"  
  
"Not so fast, Kero-chan. I want to make sure Tomoyo-chan can't get out of  
there."  
  
Sakura pulls out another card and summons it.  
  
"WINDY! Form a binding chain!"  
  
Windy appears and squeezes through Wood's walls, wrapping itself around  
Tomoyo, leaving her not only trapped, but immobilized as well.  
  
"That should hold her until I figure out a way to get the cards out of her."  
  
"Sakura..."  
  
Kero points out that both the Windy and Wood cards are slowly losing their  
power and returning to their card forms.  
  
"What's going on, Kero-chan?"  
  
"Psychic must be draining their powers, weakening them to the point where they  
can no longer hold Tomoyo in her place."  
  
"We've got to do something!"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"There's gotta be another Clow Card I can use!"  
  
At that point, Windy and Wood return to their card forms completely, leaving  
Tomoyo standing in the center of the sidewalk, just a few feet in front of  
Sakura and Kero.  
  
"You're starting to become a nuisance."  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, listen to me! You have to fight those cards! It's the only way  
I can help you!"  
  
"You think she can hear you? Ha! She's so far in that you'll never reach her!"  
  
"But... there must be a way."  
  
"There's only one way to put an end to your meddling. And that's to get rid  
of you. Permanently."  
  
Tomoyo then charges at Sakura, preparing to attack her physically.  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
"JUMP!"  
  
The Jump card is summoned just in time, as Sakura leaps out of the way just as  
Tomoyo throws a punch where she once was.  
  
"POWER! Give me the strength to fight!"  
  
Sakura lands on the ground as a pink aura surrounds her. She feels herself  
getting stronger as Tomoyo runs at her once again. Tomoyo goes for a quick  
jab at Sakura's forehead, but the Cardcaptor stops her friend dead in her  
tracks, using both hands to catch the fist in time.  
  
"The Power Card?"  
  
"I won't hurt you, Tomoyo-chan! But I will stop you, whatever it takes!"  
  
"Then I'll do whatever it takes to hurt you."  
  
Tomoyo pulls her fist out of Sakura's grip. She then attacks forcefully again,  
throwing a flurry of punches and kicks. Sakura does her best to block them  
all, but she's getting exhausted really fast.  
  
"Pull out!" Kero shouts at her. "You'll get pummelled!"  
  
"I can't!" Sakura yelled back between punches. "I have to stop Tomoyo-chan  
from hurting anyone."  
  
Sakura dodges a high roundhouse kick before turning tail and making a run for  
it. Tomoyo smiles and then pursues after her adversary.  
  
"There must be some way!" Sakura wailed out loud. "There must be some way!"  
  
She dives into a nearby sandbox... the one that lies just in front of the  
penguin slide. Seeking shelter underneath the slide, Tomoyo stands there,  
waiting for Sakura to come out.  
  
"You can't stay under there all night!"  
  
"Oh yeah? Watch me!"  
  
Kero flies in to join Sakura. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Buying some time. Li-kun's gone, so I'm hoping he has a plan of some sort."  
  
  
======  
  
  
Back at the park entrance, Syaoran runs in with a notepad in hand.  
  
"This has just got to work."  
  
All of a sudden, Syaoran begins to sense something. He skids to a stop as he  
attempts to detect where it's coming from.  
  
"It's another Clow Card. It must be the last Forbidden Clow Card."  
  
Syaoran starts running again, trying to find Sakura.  
  
"I've got to find her! I just hope I'm not too late."  
  
  
======  
  
  
Under the penguin slide, Sakura, Tomoyo, and Kero have all sensed it.  
  
"The poison card is coming this way, Clow Mistress! If you don't want it to  
merge with us, you'd better get out here!"  
  
"Tomoyo-chan's right," Sakura thought to herself. "I have to go out there and  
keep that card from merging with the other two. But if I do, Tomoyo might  
finish me off before it gets here."  
  
"I guess you don't want to save your friend, do you?"  
  
"But if I don't, the three Forbiddens merge, and we're all doomed."  
  
Sakura starts crawling out from under the slide, but Kero blocks her path.  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
"I have to do this, Kero-chan! There's no other way!"  
  
Tomoyo smiles as Sakura stands up in the sandbox and releases her wand, making  
it fall into the sand.  
  
"It's over. I give up."  
  
  
  
Coming in Chapter 8:  
- Syaoran may have the solution... but will he get there in time?  
- Sakura throws in the towel as the three cards prepare to merge. Or does she?  
- One of our heroes makes the ultimate sacrifice to save the day. 


	9. Eight

"The Deepest Friendship" - A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfic  
Story Written by Freedom Fighter  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Will Tomoyo be saved? Or is the world doomed? The beginning of the end is now!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the characters from the  
TV series.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Chapter Eight (09.02.02)  
  
"I give up."  
  
Sakura couldn't believe that those three words had come out of her mouth. But  
she had no other choice. She couldn't stand idly by while the third and final  
Forbidden Clow Card drew ever closer. So she decided to surrender for now,  
hoping she could buy enough time for Syaoran to return... wherever he might be.  
  
"You give up?" Tomoyo asked, wanting Sakura to confirm her surrender.  
  
"Yes. I'm no match for you."  
  
Tomoyo smirked. "I'm glad you see it that way, Clow Mistress!"  
  
"I'll do whatever it takes to help Tomoyo-chan. Even if it means standing by,  
powerless to do anything."  
  
"That's right. Go ahead and wallow in self-pity. The sadder you are, the  
happier I'll be when I finish you off."  
  
"No way!"  
  
Sakura and Tomoyo turn and see Kero fly up to the duo. He gets into a holding  
position in front of Sakura, stretching his little arms as a sign that he  
intended to defend her.  
  
"Kero-chan..."  
  
"I will not learn you hurt her! Sakura is the Cardcaptor! Without her, the  
Clow Cards will not be returned to the Book of Clow, and then chaos will reign  
over the world!"  
  
"Funny. That's exactly what I was thinking of doing."  
  
Tomoyo reaches out and grabs Kero before he can fly away. She then tosses him  
aside like a rag doll.  
  
"Kero-chan!" Sakura shouted, a bit worried about the Guardian Beast.  
  
Tomoyo extends her arms out and grabs Sakura's. She begins to squeeze them  
hard, which makes Sakura wince in pain.  
  
"I wouldn't be worried about him if I were you," Tomoyo said to Sakura as she  
tightened her grip.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan," Sakura began to plead while struggling to get free. "Don't do  
this!"  
  
"I told you before, your beloved Tomoyo-chan is gone! Only the entity that  
was formed after the merge of the Ghost Card and myself, the Psychic Card,  
remain standing before you!"  
  
"No! I don't believe that at all! Tomoyo-chan's still in there somewhere! I  
know it!"  
  
"My... for someone who's hands I'm squeezing the life out of, being able to  
plead for your former friend to fight back is remarkable."  
  
Tomoyo then flashes another evil smile as she tightens her grip even more.  
  
"But now I remember that you still have the Power Card activated. Of course,  
with most of that power absorbed by your staff, that leaves very little for  
you to defend yourself with. And in just a matter of seconds, the last of the  
energy of that card will wear off, allowing you to feel the true pain that you  
should be feeling!"  
  
"Uuuhhhh... Tomoyo-chan, please!"  
  
"The time has come!"  
  
Just as the Power Card wears off, leaving Sakura vulnerable and helpless,  
another Clow Card is activated. Tomoyo and Sakura are standing completely  
still, unable to move at all. In fact, nothing in the area was moving at all.  
  
Except for the one who had activated the card itself. Syaoran Li.  
  
Moving quickly, Syaoran runs over and somehow manages to squeeze in between  
the bodies of Tomoyo and Sakura, effectively blocking the two girls' view of  
each other. Despite the close quarters, especially how close he was to  
touching both of them by the simple move of his arm, he manages to deactivate  
the Clow Card he used and have time start up again.  
  
Believe it or not, the surprise of having Syaoran mysteriously squeezed  
between them causes Tomoyo to leap back, releasing her grip on Sakura. Sakura  
stumbles back, right into the penguin slide. The sudden impact causes Sakura  
to fall to her knees in the sandbox. But before she's able to fall to the  
ground, Syaoran catches her by the shoulders.  
  
"Hey, are you alright?"  
  
"Wha... Li-kun?"  
  
"Everything's going to be alright now. I know how to help Tomoyo."  
  
Sakura's eyes brightened at hearing that. "You do?"  
  
The two glance over at Tomoyo, who is still trying to figure out how Syaoran  
got between the two of them.  
  
"You boy! How did you?"  
  
Syaoran smiles and pulls out the Time Card.  
  
"Of course," Tomoyo said, realizing what had happened. "Freezing time to give  
you a few seconds to save the Clow Mistress. Not bad."  
  
Syaoran turns back to Sakura and hands her the notebook he had been holding  
when he entered the park.  
  
"There's only one chance at freeing Tomoyo. You do have all of the cards on  
you, right?"  
  
Sakura nods as she takes the notebook and starts reading his notes. After  
doing so, she blinks her eyes a few times, somewhat confused about what to do.  
  
"You want me to use the Return Card?"  
  
"Yes. The only way to get rid of the Forbiddens that have taken over Tomoyo  
is to stop them before they get to her. Therefore, you must return to the  
time just before when the Psychic Card took control of her."  
  
"But Li-kun, I don't know when that happened!"  
  
"You'll have to guess at it. It's our only hope of saving her."  
  
Kero, who had recovered from being tossed aside, flies over to Syaoran and  
Sakura. Sakura turns to Kero and looks at him, determined to win.  
  
"Remember," Syaoran spoke up, "once you return to the past, you can't return  
to the present until the past catches back up. Okay?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"And the Poison Card is nearby. I'll try to keep it from merging with the  
other Forbiddens, but I won't last long. You have to hurry."  
  
Sakura nods again. Syaoran then picks up the staff and hands it to her.  
  
"Go! We don't have much time!"  
  
Syaoran leaves Sakura's side and runs towards Tomoyo. The two start to duel  
it out using their fists as a worried Sakura looks on.  
  
"Li-kun! Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
"Sakura, we don't have time for this! Use the Return Card!"  
  
Sakura turns her attention to the matter at hand. In moments, she finds the  
Return Card, pulls it out of her deck, and activates it.  
  
"RETURN! Send me back to when the Psychic Card first took control of Tomoyo!"  
  
As the wand hits the card, a pink and purple vortex appears in front of her.  
Not even thinking twice, she runs right in, with Kero behind her. The vortex  
then immediately closes up, leaving Syaoran and Tomoyo in the park alone.  
  
"Good luck," Syaoran thought as he blocked all of Tomoyo's rapid punches.  
  
  
======  
  
  
Before they knew it, Sakura and Kero were standing in front of the penguin  
slide once again. Only now, the sun was still up in the sky, partially  
covered by some clouds.  
  
"How far back did we travel?" Sakura asked, knowing that Kero didn't know the  
answer.  
  
"Who knows? You have to figure it out."  
  
Sakura looks around, trying to see if she could recognize anything. There  
were a few small kids running around the park. But they weren't looking at  
Sakura and Kero when they appeared, so there was no need to explain where they  
had come from. Not that they would need to.  
  
Luckily, Chiharu, one of Sakura's friends, was on her way home from school,  
passing by the park.  
  
"Chiharu-chan!"  
  
Sakura runs towards Chiharu, who is leafing through one of her schoolbooks as  
she walks. Kero follows cautiously, shouting out a warning at Sakura.  
  
"Sakura! Remember that she can't see or hear you!"  
  
Remembering that the Return Card only took one to the past without allowing  
them to interfere with it, Sakura decides to just walk along with Chiharu and  
figure out what she's doing. Hopefully, it would give her a clue as to how  
far back in time she was.  
  
"As she approached the shrine," Chiharu read aloud, "Ruki realized that all of  
her hard work was finally about to pay off. It seemed like a goal she was  
destined to fail. But here she was, just a staircase away from meeting her  
idol."  
  
Sakura stops walking, instantly recognizing the book Chiharu was reading.  
  
"The Princess Journals! We had a quiz on the final few chapters the other  
day!"  
  
"I remember reading that... not exactly the most action-packed story I've ever  
read."  
  
"Chiharu had told me the day before that that she was behind and that she  
hadn't read the last few chapters. She must've read them on the way home.  
Which means that we've gone back three days!"  
  
"Good work Sakura! Now, we just have to find Tomoyo and figure out where and  
when the Psychic Card gets a hold of her."  
  
"She's at the library with me!" Sakura exclaimed, the memory coming back to  
her.  
  
"Wha?"  
  
"I didn't have cheerleading practice that day, and since Tomoyo and I still  
hadn't finished reading the story either, we went to the library to read in  
peace."  
  
"How long were you two together?"  
  
"'Til about a quarter to five. We then walked home our separate ways."  
  
"And nothing strange happened to Tomoyo at the library?"  
  
Sakura shook her head. "Not that I could recall. We'd better get to the  
library then to make sure nothing does happen."  
  
Sakura runs off in the direction of the library. But Kero yells at her to  
stop.  
  
"Sakura, stop!"  
  
Before she knew it, the scenery had started to swirl around. Sakura skids to  
a stop, confused as to what's going on.  
  
"Kero-chan?"  
  
Kero sighs. "Another disadvantage to the Return Card is that you have to stay  
within 400 meters of the place where you activated it. If you step out of  
the range, the card stops functioning and you're instantly returned to the  
time and place where you had summoned it."  
  
"But I thought you said that I could only go back when time here had caught  
up to the present!"  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
"Then what am I supposed to do? If the card gets Tomoyo-chan anywhere but  
here, then how are we going to save her?"  
  
"I don't know, Sakura."  
  
"You have to know! You're the Guardian Beast of the Clow! There's got to be  
at least one card I can use!"  
  
Kero tried to think of a card, but Sakura had already pulled out her deck to  
search for a card to use.  
  
  
======  
  
  
Back in present time, Tomoyo and Syaoran had reached a stalemate in their  
battle. The two of them were standing about 15 meters apart, staring each  
other down.  
  
All of a sudden, a strange feeling comes over Tomoyo, causing her to fall to  
her knees. Syaoran runs over, concerned about her.  
  
"Daidouji?"  
  
Tomoyo had her hands on the sides of her head, as if she had a headache.  
Thinking that the third card was nearby, Syaoran takes his mind off of Tomoyo  
temporarily to try and find the card. He closes his eyes and tunes in his  
senses.  
  
After about a minute, he finally senses the card flying in their direction  
from the west.  
  
"It'll be here any second."  
  
Syaoran opens his eyes so that he can keep Tomoyo safe. But she's no longer  
kneeling in front of him. At first, he thinks that Tomoyo's run off to meet  
the card. Looking in that direction, he doesn't see her. But then he hears  
the rustling of some leaves behind him. He turns and sees Tomoyo on the run,  
away from the card.  
  
"Why is she going that way? The card's in front of us, not back there."  
  
Syaoran wondered what was going on, until a frightening thought came to mind.  
  
"The lake! What if she..."  
  
He runs off after Tomoyo.  
  
  
======  
  
  
Not too far away from the park was a bridge that spanned over a small lake  
that bordered the park's south entrance. Syaoran runs up to the bridge and  
stops, gasping as he sees Tomoyo standing on one of the bridge posts.  
  
"I'm sorry," Tomoyo said apologetically, and to Syaoran's surprise, in her  
own voice.  
  
"You broke free? How?"  
  
"Only temporarily. This is my only chance to free myself."  
  
"Wait!"  
  
Syaoran runs over to stop Tomoyo, but she's already turned and made her leap  
off of the bridge post.  
  
  
  
Coming in Chapter 9 (the final chapter):  
- Will Sakura find Tomoyo and keep the Psychic Card from reaching her?  
- Is drowning herself the only way for Tomoyo to free herself?  
- And the relationship between Sakura and Tomoyo takes an interesting turn. 


	10. Nine

"The Deepest Friendship" - A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfic  
Story Written by Freedom Fighter  
  
Rating: PG  
  
It's the final chapter, folks! What will happen? Read on and see...  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the characters from the  
TV series.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
Chapter Nine (09.13.02)  
  
Back in the past, Sakura and Kero could here the clock from their school chime  
five times. The two of them were still standing in King Penguin Park, watching  
the crowd of small children that had gathered run around the playground. They  
were hoping that Tomoyo had walked past the park on the way home.  
  
It was the only way they could keep the Psychic Card from taking possession of  
her.  
  
"All of this waiting is killing me!" Sakura shouted. "The card might have  
already gotten Tomoyo-chan already, and there's nothing we can do!"  
  
"If it's got her already," Kero began, pointing up the pathway, "then it  
doesn't seem like it."  
  
Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. Tomoyo, in her school uniform, was walking  
along the path heading towards the park. And she seemed as calm as normal.  
  
"It looks like she's alright," observed Sakura.  
  
Kero tries to sense the presence of a Clow Card inside of Tomoyo. But he  
didn't find one.  
  
"I don't sense anything. It might be a good sign."  
  
"But Kero-chan, we went for three days without sensing anything from her.  
The card might be in her already!"  
  
"Then you're the only one who can figure out if it's there or not. You've  
got to concentrate and focus your powers."  
  
Sakura nodded. She closed her eyes and began to channel her energy. At first,  
she doesn't sense anything either. But then, the same feeling she got when  
she had first sensed the Psychic Card's presence became fresh in her mind.  
  
"I can sense it nearby," she said aloud, although she was still in her trance.  
  
"Where?" Kero shot back, getting worried and impatient.  
  
Sakura focuses in on Tomoyo and tries to see if the Psychic Card is in her.  
But she doesn't get any type of a signal.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan seems to be okay. I don't sense the card inside of her."  
  
"If that's true, then..."  
  
Kero then began to panic, breaking Sakura's concentration temporarily.  
  
"That means it's nearby, and could strike at any moment! You've got to find  
it and stop it!"  
  
Sakura nods again and resumes her trance. After a few seconds, she opens  
her eyes and looks up the main path coming from Twin Bells, the stuffed toy  
shop that lied northwest of their current position.  
  
"The card's coming this way! I say it'll reach Tomoyo-chan in about two  
minutes."  
  
"Then stop it!"  
  
"I can't, remember? Tomoyo will walk out of the Return Card's zone before  
the Psychic Card gets here. Besides, even if she stays in, I can't help her!"  
  
Then, Sakura recalls the piece of paper that Syaoran had given to her. She  
pulls it out and notes that it had more instructions than just 'use the  
Return Card.'  
  
"Li-kun wrote something else on here! It says that I should use the Create  
Card once I get into the past."  
  
Sakura glances at Kero, wondering how the Create Card could help.  
  
"But how will that help?"  
  
"The kid may have something," Kero thought out aloud.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Using the card allows you to create stuff and make it real. Maybe you can  
use it to stop the Psychic Card."  
  
"But whomever used it before I caught it was writing a story about flying  
animals and fearsome dragons! How does our predicament fit into that?"  
  
"Make something up! You're the Cardcaptor!"  
  
"I guess that would work. But..."  
  
"What, Sakura?"  
  
"Kero-chan... if I use the Create Card now, wouldn't that affect the ability  
to continue using the Return Card?"  
  
"Yes. If the two cards are activated simultaneously for a prolonged period of  
time, the card you used first will stop working. In other words, you'll be  
brought back to the present."  
  
"But then we can't save Tomoyo-chan."  
  
"You'll have a few minutes before that happens. So use your time wisely!"  
  
"Right."  
  
Sakura searches through her deck and finds the Create Card. Then reaching  
for her staff, she summons the card.  
  
"CREATE! Allow me to use my imagination to stop the Psychic Card from  
reaching Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
  
======  
  
  
In present time, Tomoyo was now underwater, swimming to shallow bottom of the  
lake, which is only about six or seven feet deep. Syaoran, on land, dives in  
and tries to get her out before she drowned.  
  
He would never forgive himself if he stood around and allowed Sakura's best  
friend to drown herself just to save the world.  
  
Besides, he felt confident knowing that Sakura would pull through in the past.  
  
  
======  
  
  
With a giant book now in front of her and an old writing quill at her disposal,  
Sakura tries to figure out a way to stop the Psychic Card.  
  
"Let's see," Sakura thought out aloud, tapping the feathery part of the quill  
against her chin. "What could I write?"  
  
"Sakura! Hurry up!"  
  
"I'm thinking!" she shot back.  
  
Luckily, shouting back at Kero gave her an idea. She starts writing on the  
first blank page in the book.  
  
"So what's the plan?" Kero asked.  
  
Before he knew it, Kero was wearing a pointy blue magician's cap and had a  
cape tied around his neck and hanging off of his back.  
  
"Kero-chan, the wizard!"  
  
"Why am I dressed like this, Sakura?"  
  
"Simple! You're a magician, and the Clow Card we're trying to catch is made  
of magic."  
  
"Oh! So I'll use some magic to capture it!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"But wait... I don't know any of those types of magic spells."  
  
"No need! I'll write one in for you!"  
  
Sakura resumes writing. As she does, Kero is forced against his will to move  
in the direction that the card is coming from.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"Hang on! You still need a wand!"  
  
As if on cue, a small wand forms in Kero's right paw.  
  
"Alright! I'm magic ready!"  
  
"Okay, Kero-chan! Here goes!"  
  
Sakura continues to write in the book. As she does, Kero starts to spew out  
an incantation of some sort.  
  
"Powers of magic, lend me your strength! Allow me to capture this Clow Card!  
Abracadabra!"  
  
Kero waves the wand at the direction of the card. Upon being hit with the  
incantation, the Psychic Card is stopped in its tracks, revealing its physical  
form. That happens to be a pink-skinned fairy in a wizard's robe.  
  
Sakura adds another paragraph to her story. Suddenly, a life-like version of  
herself appears, with staff in hand, and walks over to the frozen card.  
  
"We've got the card now!" Sakura, the one writing in the book, yells.  
  
"Return to the guise that you were meant to be in!" Sakura, the one that had  
been created by the book, yells, raising the Clow Staff above her head.  
"CLOW CARD!"  
  
Unable to escape, the Psychic Card begins to lose its shape. It starts to  
swirl around, until the entire entity is changed into a Card. The Clow Card  
flies into the fake Sakura's hand.  
  
She then walks over to the real Sakura, hands her the Clow Card, and then  
disappears. Kero flies over, as the hat, cape, and wand disappear from his  
person.  
  
"You did it, Sakura!"  
  
"Yes! But without Li-kun's guidance, it probably wouldn't have ended this  
way!"  
  
Suddenly, things around Sakura and Kero begin to swirl around.  
  
"Kero-chan..."  
  
"It's taking effect. With the Create Card still activated, the Return Card  
has stopped working. And now, we're returning to the present sooner than  
expected."  
  
The swirling continues until Sakura and Kero disappear from the past.  
  
  
======  
  
  
Back in present time, a pink and purple vortex appears out of nowhere. Sakura  
and Kero leap out of it, with the vortex closing right behind them. The two  
get up, as Sakura sees the Return, Create, and Psychic Cards in hand.  
  
"I'm glad that it's all over!" Sakura rejoiced happily.  
  
But then she began to worry again when she remembered the Ghost and Poison  
Cards that were still loose.  
  
"Kero-chan, what about the Ghost and Poison Cards?"  
  
"No need to worry, Sakura. Since you've captured the Psychic Card, which was  
the strongest of the three, the Ghost and Poison Cards are unable to take  
control of Tomoyo."  
  
"So she'll be fine?"  
  
"Yep. The Ghost and Poison Cards will no longer bother her. Of course, when  
they appear again, you'll have to capture them, as they can still cause quite  
a bit of mischief on their own."  
  
Sakura nods, although she doesn't feel so sure about having to capture a  
Ghost Clow Card.  
  
She then turns her attention on Tomoyo and Syaoran, who are nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan! Li-kun!"  
  
Sakura then begins to hear sounds of water splashing nearby. She runs off in  
that direction, with Kero flying after her.  
  
  
======  
  
  
In the nearby lake, Sakura and Kero spot Syaoran helping Tomoyo out of the  
lake. Tomoyo's coughing up some water, seeing as how she had been underwater  
for at least 15 seconds or so. Syaoran is also breathing heavily, though he  
doesn't seem to be having as much trouble as Tomoyo.  
  
Sakura runs over to Tomoyo and tries to help her out.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
Tomoyo looks at Sakura, smiles, and then faints.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan! Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
  
======  
  
  
Tomoyo opens her eyes and finds herself resting in her own bed.  
  
"Had it all been a dream?" Tomoyo thought.  
  
She looks under the covers and sees that she's dressed in a lime green  
nightgown.  
  
"Well, I guess so."  
  
But then she glances to her right and sees Sakura sitting in a wooden chair.  
Her head is lowered, and she seemed to be breathing as if she were asleep.  
  
Which in fact, she was.  
  
Tomoyo hops out of bed and walks over to Sakura, shaking her at the shoulders.  
  
"Sakura-chan."  
  
Sakura wakes up and rubs her eyes with her hands. But as she looks up, she  
sees Tomoyo standing next to her and smiling at her.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
"So everything from last night wasn't a dream?"  
  
Sakura blinked her eyes. She didn't know if telling her what truly  
happened last night was the right thing to do. Regardless, she decided to  
tell her anyway.  
  
"No. There really was a Clow Card that had control of you last night."  
  
"Really? I thought so! So, did you catch it?"  
  
"Yep!"  
  
Sakura reaches into her pocket and pulls out the Psychic Card for Tomoyo to  
see.  
  
"I'm glad you caught the card..."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"But I'm so disappointed that I couldn't capture the whole experience on  
videotape."  
  
Sakura fell out of her chair and to the ground.  
  
"Hoe..."  
  
  
======  
  
  
After taking a few minutes to make sure Tomoyo knew exactly what had happened,  
Sakura and Tomoyo are chatting once again, while sitting on Tomoyo's bed.  
Kero is still sleeping on the dresser, unaware of what's going on.  
  
"I'm happy for you, Sakura-chan! The whole world's a lot safer with you  
capturing the Clow Cards!"  
  
"I'm just glad to have my best friend back to her normal self."  
  
"I hope neither of us turn out to be like that when we get older."  
  
"Me neither. You're the nicest person I know... other than my dad, of course."  
  
"That's so sweet! I hope you never change!"  
  
"I hope you never change either, Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
  
======  
  
  
After a well-balanced breakfast and a call home, Sakura, with Kero in her  
backpack, wave goodbye to Tomoyo as they head for the bus stop to go home.  
  
"Thanks for everything, Sakura-chan!"  
  
"Make sure you get a lot of rest, Tomoyo-chan! I'll talk to you later!"  
  
"Okay! Bye!"  
  
Sakura and Kero walk towards the front gate of the Daidouji mansion grounds.  
As Tomoyo watches Sakura leave, she can't help but smile as her best friend  
disappears from view.  
  
"I'm happy that you cared so much for me," Tomoyo thought. "I've never had a  
friend like you. And I hope to return the favor one day.  
  
"One day when we're older, I will repay you, Sakura-chan." 


	11. Author's Commentary

"The Deepest Friendship" - A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfic  
Story Written by Freedom Fighter  
  
  
  
Author's Commentary (09.23.02)  
  
  
The purpose of this extra chapter is to give you an insight of what I was  
thinking during the course of writing this fanfic. I do cover numerous  
points from the fanfic itself, so if you have yet to read it, then please  
go and do so... no need to go and spoil everything.  
  
  
  
[Introduction]  
  
You know, you can bash the dub of "Cardcaptor Sakura," known as "Cardcaptors,"  
as much as you want. But face it... Pioneer would have never released the  
original, uncut, and English subtitled version of the show had that terrible  
dub been kept from airing on Kids' WB. And look what's happened now. Pioneer  
is no longer releasing tapes of the dub series, yet the original subbed series  
continues to sell strong. And you have Pioneer, and believe it or not, Nelvana,  
to thank for that.  
  
But as for me... I had heard about "Cardcaptor Sakura" in brief blurbs here  
and there. It wasn't until I saw the anime get a brief mention in Animerica  
that this series really began to interest me. For those of you who are  
curious, it was a one-page blurb on what would be a successful follow-up to  
"Pokémon," which of course was still in its first season. As for what was  
featured on the page besides "Cardcaptor Sakura," it was "Digimon" and  
"Monster Rancher."  
  
Of course, "Cardcaptor Sakura" doesn't exactly fall in the same category as  
those monster-raising shows, but there were comparisons made. Nevertheless, I  
still was interested in the show, and couldn't wait to see it.  
  
As any naive, non-anime knowledgable person would be at the time, I loved the  
series when it debuted, and probably could have thought nothing else of it.  
  
Luckily, I had a computer, and instantly I could tell that the dub was a lot  
more different than the original. Although the rumor of Sakura being renamed  
Nikki never came through (thank goodness), we still had to deal with the  
storyline being changed around so that it had a male lead, Syaoran (or Li).  
Of course, I saw how outraged die-hard fans of the original "Cardcaptor  
Sakura" were. Mad at all of the changes, which included normal dub things  
like changing character names and voices, to things that were abnormal,  
such as cutting up the aforementioned storyline and the episode order, as  
well as almost any romantic relationship.  
  
Although I never fully outraged at Nelvana for the shoddy dub, I was still  
convinced to try out the "Cardcaptor Sakura" series subbed, on VHS, when it  
first came out. With each passing volume, my appreciation for the original  
increased. And I was turned to the pure-sub version, practically forgetting  
about the dub as it eventually faded off of the Kids' WB line-up.  
  
But at least the dub did one thing right. It kept me curious about seeing  
how the series originally ended. And I can't wait to see how the show ends.  
  
  
  
[Idea Central]  
  
As Kids' WB began airing the second season of "Cardcaptors" and the first few  
volumes of the original "Cardcaptor Sakura" were available on video, I began  
drafting plans to write my first ever fanfic on the series.  
  
Back then, when I was still in love with both versions, I was planning to do  
this fanfic in two versions. One with Japanese names and characters, which  
you've enjoyed over the past few months. The other with English names and  
characters, to satisfy the younger crowd and those unexposed to the original.  
  
The fanfic was originally supposed to be released in summer of 2001. But I  
was already bogged down with the first season of "Roomies," which is the only  
fanfic I really was interested in writing over those months. So this story,  
"The Deepest Friendship," was shelved.  
  
When I finally began writing this and began releasing it in late January of  
this year, I immediately decided to scrap writing an English version. So now,  
I only had one based on the Japanese names and character personalities.  
  
That, of course, was a problem.  
  
You see, this is the first time that I've ever written a fanfic using the  
original Japanese storyline. I had trouble using honorifics (-chan and -san,  
for example). And even though I was keeping up with the videotapes as they  
were released, I often forgot how characters referred to each other, which  
was also done slightly different than in the U.S. Not to mention that I made  
sure to use the Japanese chants and not the English dub ones.  
  
All in all, in between a long hiatus between the prologue and first two  
chapters, and then the rest of the fanfic, this turned out to be good.  
Although it was released in a prologue and nine chapters, instead of a  
three-chapter movie-script type extravaganza, it made it more bearable to  
write and finally be finished here in early September 2002.  
  
And with that, I say thanks for reading.  
  
  
  
I'll now move on to some additional notes I want to make on individual  
chapters.  
  
  
  
[Chapter 1]  
  
1) For those of you who missed the memo, this fanfic takes place independent  
of the original storyline, but for those of you who need specific dates...  
I would say just before Meilin leaves to return home.  
  
2) Sometimes character spellings vary from the beginning to the end.  
Originally, I had used the names from Tokyopop's manga version of the series.  
In the later chapters of the series, I used the spellings from the anime.  
  
3) Call it weird, but I seem to take the coupling of Yamazaki and Chiharu  
very seriously. It's changed slightly to just a hearty laugh because of the  
nature of their relationship, but since they don't appear in the latter half  
of this fanfic, there wasn't really a need to change anything from the  
beginning.  
  
4) Two reference changes... Syaoran originally referring to Tomoyo by her  
first name, changed to the right way (referring to her by last name). And  
then Kero originally referring to Meilin by name, changed to the right way  
(calling her a brat).  
  
5) The only person in the Daidouji mansion mentioned other than Tomoyo was  
one of the maids. I decided to keep Tomoyo's mother, Sonomi, out of the  
fanfic, even though it probably would have be natural to have her in to  
comfort Tomoyo. But I felt that I couldn't write her character accurately  
enough to really fit into the fanfic.  
  
  
  
[Chapter 2]  
  
6) It's hard to tell what my train of thought was in the first scene here.  
We have Meilin curious as to why Sakura is hiding behind Syaoran, and acting  
rather cross about it. I think I was shooting for the early Meilin episodes,  
when she thinks Sakura is trying to take Syaoran from her. But it comes off  
more like the dub, when Meilin is portrayed as knowing that Sakura wants to  
take Li from her.  
  
  
  
[Chapter 3]  
  
7) Recognize the dream sequence? This chapter was written shortly after I  
had bought the "Cardcaptor Sakura" movie. And this scene is based on the  
opening scene from the movie.  
  
  
  
[Chapter 4]  
  
8) Believe it or not, the idea to call the three cards Forbidden Clow Cards  
did not come up until I actually wrote the scene I identified them in. The  
names of the cards... the Psychic, the Poison, and the Ghost... I had thought  
about, but had not completely solidfied until this very scene as well.  
  
  
  
[Chapter 8]  
  
9) I'm not aware of a distance rule as to the range of the Return Card, as  
when Sakura first encountered it in Episode 27 of the anime series, she never  
moved from the tree branch as the past caught up to the present.  
  
  
  
[Chapter 9]  
  
10) Adding to the previous note, I'm not sure if the Create Card would be  
capable of performing such a feat as described... but once again, assume it  
can be done for the purposes of this fanfic.  
  
  
  
Thanks for reading "The Deepest Friendship." I really appreciated all of  
your comments. Be on the lookout for my next Cardcaptor Sakura, one with a  
Halloween theme, coming this October to Fanfiction.net! It's called  
"Kero-chan, Where Are You?" It's already shaping up to be frightfully fun  
and hilariously scary. Don't miss it!  
  
Until then, bye! 


End file.
